Sony Interactive Entertainment Acquires Haven Entertainment Studios

In the long lineage that followed Jade Raymond from Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, and Google, she has currently founded a new ambition – Haven Entertainment Studios. The decision comes after the fallout of Stadia Games and Entertainment last year which Google shuttered when Raymond was at the helm of the first-party team at the time.

More eye-opening was the aftermath of the closing of the in-house developer at Google which revealed more Stadia employees flocked behind Raymond when Haven Studios formed in collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment. A total of six employees made the transition. Additionally, Assassin’s Creed veteran Raphael Lacoste – art director of the first installment – announced to be joining Raymond’s venture later on.

From a new PlayStation Blog post, Sony Interactive Entertainment unveils Haven Entertainment Studios is the latest acquisition coming to the PlayStation Studios family.

The Haven team begins a new phase of our journey, as part of the PlayStation Studios family. Working with Hermen, Connie Booth and the team at PlayStation over the past year has been a career highlight. SIE is a supportive partner that truly understands the creative process and what it takes to make a blockbuster AAA game. They have empowered and encouraged us to bring our bold vision to life and make our dreams come true and we could not be more thrilled about this opportunity to strengthen our partnership.

As a SIE first-party studio, we will have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the world’s most renowned development teams, including studios like Guerrilla, Naughty Dog, Media Molecule, and Insomniac Games, the creators of games that have inspired us as players and developers for years. We’re excited to learn from these world-class studios, as well as the exceptional central creative, technology and marketing teams whose expertise will enable us to deliver even better games to players.

Jade Raymond, Haven Entertainment Studios CEO

“I’m delighted to announce that Haven Studios is officially joining PlayStation Studios!” Hermen Hulst, PlayStation Studios head stated. “ Jade Raymond brings a wealth of experience from her industry achievements and an infectious passion for creating games, and the leadership team at Haven is an equally impressive group of industry veterans who have collaborated on some of the biggest and most beloved games and franchises that many of us still enjoy today.

“We began working with Jade and her team in early 2021 when they were on the brink of announcing the formation of Haven Studios. From their first pitch, we were inspired by Haven’s vision for creating a modern multiplayer experience that brings gamers together in positive and meaningful ways. We were confident in their creative and technical expertise to deliver on such an ambitious project and were thrilled to invest in their journey developing a new, original IP for PlayStation.”

Of course, this is another rapid fire buyout from Sony Interactive Entertainment. The last purchase from the PlayStation firm was of Bungie back in January. The acquisition came after 2021’s acquiring of Housemarque, Firespite Games, Bluepoint Games, and Valkyrie Entertainment then.

Ironically enough, the decision on Google’s behalf for Stadia now appears to be entirely neglecting the platform according to Business Insider. In a previous story, it was revealed that Stadia is being undermined by a new initiative dubbed ‘Google Stream’. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you surprised by the acquisition of Haven Entertainment Studios?

Source: PlayStation Blog