A new challenger approaches: PlayStation's making a big mobile push

News
By
published

Savage Game Studios takes center field

Savage Game Studios
(Image credit: Savage Game Studios, Sony)

Head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst, announced today that Sony has entered a "definitive agreement" acquiring Savage Game Studios. The company was founded in 2020 and boasts a team of industry professionals with years of experience developing popular mobile games.

Savage Game Studios is already working on a AAA mobile live service action game, but it's apparently "too early to reveal more." However, in the announcement post, there's mention of the studio being able to "potentially tap into PlayStation’s amazing catalog of IP" now that it has been acquired. 

The key word here is "potentially," so it's probably safe to assume the company's first game will be unrelated to PlayStation's existing catalog. Additionally, the game has likely been in development way before this acquisition, so unless massive changes are made halfway through, we're expecting this to be original.

Hulst reassures players that PlayStation's efforts on mobile will not distract from its commitment to the PS5, its games and the community. He promises that PlayStation's mobile content will be "similarly addictive," while simultaneously seeking to "reach new audiences unfamiliar with PlayStation."

Savage Game Studios CEO, Michail Katkoff, claims that the team wanted to stay small so they could call their own shots and take the risks or experiments that best suit their vision. As a result, it may seem strange that the team would join PlayStation, but Katkoff claims "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."

This isn't PlayStation's first time going all-in on mobile gaming, and although there will be inevitable worry when people hear the company is investing in mobile, don't forget PlayStation has quite the history with the PSP, PSVita, and more recently, launching the Backbone One. If we can expect PSP/PSVita quality titles from PlayStation coming out on mobile devices, this will be an exciting initiative.

Claire Tabari
Claire Tabari
Contributing Writer

Self-described art critic and unabashedly pretentious, Claire finds joy in impassioned ramblings about her closeness to video games. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Media Studies from Brooklyn College and five years of experience in entertainment journalism. Claire is a stalwart defender of the importance found in subjectivity and spends most days overwhelmed with excitement for the past, present and future of gaming. When she isn't writing or playing Dark Souls, she can be found eating chicken fettuccine alfredo and watching anime.