There’s little question that Sony has been quite happy with PS5 exclusive Returnal and its developer Housemarque. After recently acquiring the studio behind the unique AAA bullet-hell rogue-like, Sony now calls Returnal a “mega hit,” according to the PlayStation Studios site.
The various developers on the PlayStation Studios page each include a very brief description beneath the logo for the individual studio. Under the likes of Guerrilla Games, it reads “The studio that brought the critically-acclaimed Horizon franchise to life,” while Santa Monica Studios says “The talented team behind the smash-hit God of War franchise.” Numerous descriptive words are used for assorted games, like “much-adored Concrete Genie” and “award-winning Ghost of Tsushima,” while other games aren’t preceded by descriptors at all.
The description for Housemarque reads “The studio behind mega hit Returnal.” While we don’t yet know specific sales numbers, the fact that Sony considers the game a “mega hit” is a pretty big deal given the rather risky idea that this game was from the outset and its $70 price point. Sony also revealed back in May that players had put more than 5 million hours into the game, as such considering Returnal a “successful” release. Housemarque wants to use this momentum and the studio officially becoming part of the PlayStation Studios family to make even bigger and more ambitious games.
If you haven’t yet tried out Returnal, it sounds like you need to either still buy a PS5 or check out our review to see why it’s such a great game.
While we’re looking at the PlayStation Studios page, it’s interesting to note that the Bend Studio’s description does not mention Days Gone, or any specific games from the studio at all. It simply says “Creating games for over 25 years at the base of Oregon’s beautiful Cascade Mountains.” Every other listed studio besides London Studio and XDEV mentions at least one game, sometimes two.
[Source: PlayStation Studios]
