Housemarque, the Finnish studio founded in 1995, has experienced remarkable growth and transformation since its acquisition by PlayStation following the success of Returnal in 2021. According to Ilari Kuittinen, CEO of the company, this integration has allowed Housemarque to adapt its internal processes to new standards of human resources and project oversight, which has been crucial for its evolution in the current competitive market.
Without PlayStation, they couldn’t be making Saros
Access to greater financial resources thanks to PlayStation has been crucial for the studio, allowing it to move to new and modern offices in Kaartinkaupunki, Helsinki. Kuittinen emphasized that “financing large projects would not have been possible without them,” highlighting the positive impact this collaboration has had on their production capacity.
One of the most ambitious projects in development is Saros, which began its active production phase in 2022. Although the exact budget of the title has not been revealed, it is estimated to be comparable to that of Alan Wake 2, which had a cost of approximately 70 million euros. This increase in investment marks a significant evolution for a studio that had previously focused on more modest productions.
In addition, it has been highlighted that Sony’s acquisition of Housemarque was made for an amount in the tens of millions of euros. Tax documents indicate that both Kuittinen and co-founder Harri Tikkanen received capital income close to 9.8 million euros in 2022, underscoring the lucrative deal for the studio’s founders.
Since the acquisition, Housemarque has multiplied its revenue, increasing from 8.9 million euros in 2020 to 21.8 million in the fiscal year ending in March 2024, establishing itself as a key player in the PlayStation ecosystem, driven by the success of Returnal and the development of Saros.
