Sony acquires The Playroom VR developer Firesprite

This is the fourtheenth distinct first-party studio under the Sony Worldwide Studios umbrella.

What you need to know

Sony announced that it is acquiring Firesprite.
Firesprite is a U.K. studio that has previously worked on games like Playroom VR.
Sony announced the acquisition of Returnal developer Housemarque and PC porting team Nixxes earlier this year.

Sony announced on Wednesday that is is acquiring Firesprite, adding the Liverpool-based studio to the Sony Worldwide Studios first-party family. Sony worked with Firesprite in the past on games such as Playroom VR. This team has over 250 developers and is looking to grow even further.

"I firstly want to thank PlayStation and their community for the warm welcome into a family of incredible creators. I'd also like to thank all of our 'Sprites, past and present, who have helped shape the Firesprite we see today. I'm proud of the talent we have at Firesprite and you'll continue to hear and see more from us all very soon!" says Graeme Ankers, managing director of Firesprite.

Sony is currently working on the next generation of PlayStation VR, so the acquisition of Firesprite may embolden its first-party capabilities for future VR projects in addition to increasing its overall PS5 output. Firesprite is currently hiring for two very different games: a multiplayer shooter and a 'dark narrative blockbuster' title.

"It is just the right time for them to join us and double down on the projects that we're doing with them," PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst tells GamesIndustry.biz. "To solidify the relationship and to give them a proper seat at the table where we have formal knowledge exchange with other studios. They already have some strong ties with certain first-party studios, but I want to be clear that we want them to lead the development of several game projects, rather than helping other teams out, even though they have collaborating with us before."

Sony previously acquired two other studios in 2021, adding Returnal's Finnish developer Housemarque and Dutch PC porting team Nixxes Software to the first-party family at Sony Worldwide Studios.

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