In just one year, PlayStation has purchased three separate studios.

ByShehryar Makhdoom | Published date:
in-just-one-year-playstation-has-purchased-three-separate-studios

(Image credit: Firesprite)

Sony has bought Firesprite, a British game development firm, representing the company's third gaming studio takeover this year.

Firesprite has collaborated alongside Sony to create multiple games, according to an article on the PlayStation Blog. The programmer was most notable for his work on The Playroom and The Playroom VR. Firesprite, a British company, is also responsible for The Persistence, a horror shooter first launched as a PSVR title on the PS4 and has since been distributed on the PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.

In the announcement post, Firesprite Managing Director Graeme Ankers said,

"We've had the pleasure of working with many talented developers and publishers across the industry, and PlayStation, in particular, has been a friend and co-development partner for the best part of a decade."

The news that Firesprite had been established by former Sony Liverpool employees and was bought by Sony itself comes as somewhat of a full-circle moment. Firesprite, which has a crew of more than 250 people, is a significant addition to the PlayStation developer roster. In addition, Firesprite told GameIndustry that it would expand its portfolio to include categories outside of what Sony's other internal teams are working on.

Sony is Interactive Entertainment's third studio acquisition in 2021. In June, Sony purchased Housemarque, the Finnish company that launched the PS5-exclusive Returnal earlier this year. In addition, Sony revealed in July that it had purchased Nixxes, a Dutch studio that specialized in PC game port. Firesprite joins the PlayStation Studios stable as the 14th studio.

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