Returnal Dev Not Looking To Make Live-Service Or Free-To-Play Games

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Housemarque, a studio owned by Sony that developed the game Returnal, stated they currently have no intention of creating live-service or free-to-play games, as long as there’s a demand for premium games.

According to studio head Ilari Kuittinen, our approach is that our games offer a unique moment in your life, which you can enjoy over a short period, be it a couple of days, weeks, or however long it takes. (Eurogamer)

Instead of his statement, creative director Gregory Louden might have expressed it as follows: “Our team at Housemarque is devoting all our efforts to creating top-tier, single-player and premium games for your enjoyment.

Successfully generating profits from live-service games is achievable, but it requires surpassing well-established titles such as Fortnite, Minecraft, GTA Online, and Call of Duty in popularity. This feat has been difficult for many new entrants to accomplish.

Housemarque’s upcoming game is titled Saros, which serves as a spiritual successor to Returnal. This anticipated title is slated for launch in 2026 exclusively on the PlayStation 5. For further details, be sure to check out TopMob’s comprehensive coverage of everything we currently know about Saros.

Initially, Sony intended to unveil about a dozen live-service games by the year 2026. However, they later reduced that number to just half. Unfortunately, one of their high-profile live-service games, Concord, suffered a disastrous debut in 2024 and was promptly closed down.

Among Sony’s forthcoming live-service games are Bungie’s Marathon and Fairgame$, developed by Haven Studios. Lately, both projects have faced challenges: Bungie acknowledged using unlicensed art in Marathon, while reports suggested that Fairgame$ had a challenging external playtest, with studio head Jade Raymond leaving the company.

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2025-05-20 19:10