As PlayStation continues to expand their reach into the PC and mobile space (which we coincidentally just posted a video about for early access Patrons), they are looking at new ways to support that development. As of this morning, they can add another studio to the stable.
Head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst, announced the acquisition of Savage Game Studios this morning. SGS was formed in 2020 from a group of developers and creative designers with many years of experience in the gaming industry. Hulst offered the following statements on the acquisition:
Today, we announced that we have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Savage Game Studios, a hugely talented team of creatives with many years of experience making some of the most popular mobile games enjoyed by players around the world. They were founded a few years ago with the goal of fearlessly exploring bold new ideas. We share their tireless ambition to innovate, along with a continued drive to expand our audience and bring PlayStation to more people than ever before, making them a perfect fit to join PlayStation Studios.
Michail Katkoff, CEO and Co-founder of Savage Game Studios, had the following to say:
Established in 2020 and led by myself and fellow Co-founders Nadjim Adjir and Michael McManus, Savage Game Studios was born of our many years of mobile game development experience spanning a number of massively successful global IP. Our guiding vision was a creative space where experimentation and taking risks weren’t warily avoided, but rather eagerly embraced. We’ve all worked at big studios and while we respect the advantages of ample resources, we wanted to stay small and nimble so we could call our own shots.
“So why then,” you may be thinking to yourself, “would you join PlayStation Studios?” We made this deal because we believe that PlayStation Studios’ leadership respects our vision for how we can best operate and succeed, and because they too are not afraid to take chances. All of that, plus the ability to potentially tap into PlayStation’s amazing catalog of IP and the fact that we will benefit from the kind of support that only they can provide… The harder question to answer would be “why not?”
On behalf of everybody at Savage Game Studios, thank you for having us. We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on!
Our Take
PlayStation continues to expand their footprint for the future in smart and savvy ways. While they are continuing to invest in “traditional” experiences that fans have come to love from the brand, it’s very clear that PlayStation fully realizes they need to evolve for the future. They are doing that more rapidly than many realize.