business news PlayStation: a big step for Sony towards mobile gaming with the acquisition of a new studio
It’s the new trend in the video game industry: everyone buys everyone out! While the last few days have been animated by the rumor of a takeover of Electronic Arts by Amazon, it is Sony who surprises his little world by announcing the acquisition of a brand new studio. Savage Game Studios, it may not mean anything to you, but it is a very important step in the evolution of Sony’s activities.
Sony on mobiles, it’s done!
PlayStation 5, PC, PS VR 2… Sony already had plenty to do, but as Jim Ryan had announced, the Japanese firm has every intention of broadening its horizons and acquiring new studios. Thus, on this Monday morning, the manufacturer announces the acquisition of Savage Game Studios, at the same time recording its arrival on the mobile gaming market. To mark this entry, Sony has taken over a studio made up of industry veterans and accustomed to the ecosystem of the mobile world. Savage Game Studios is based in Helsinki, Finland and has been operating since 2020 on Android and iOS. We find at its head Michail Katkoff and Nadjim Adjir, defectors from Rovio (the first also passed through Zynga and Supercell) and the duo is completed by Michael McManus, a former Insomniac Games. Not really new kids then!
Founded in 2020 and led by myself and my co-founders Nadjim Adjir and Michael McManus, Savage Game Studios is the result of our many years of experience in mobile game development, which has brought to life franchises that have known a resounding success internationally. Our guiding vision was to set up a creative space, making experimentation and risk-taking not pitfalls to be avoided, but a philosophy to be adopted. We’ve all worked with big studios, and while we respect the benefits of big resources, we wanted to keep operating on a small scale, to maintain our agility and freedom of choice.
“Then why join PlayStation Studios?” you might ask. If we have entered into this agreement, it is because we believe that the management of PlayStation Studios, in addition to respecting our mode of operation and our vision of success, shares our taste for innovation. Add to that the ability to tap into the incredible catalog of PlayStation franchises, as well as the breadth of support that only PlayStation Studios can offer, and the question isn’t so much “Why join them?” than “Why not join them?”.
AAA action game in the works
In accordance with its new policy, Sony is embarking on mobile games and Savage Game Studios, of course, did not wait for this announcement to get to work. In a press release, we learn that the proteges of the Finnish studio are preparing a AAA action game for mobile platforms, namely Android and iOS. For the time being, this is all that has emerged about this acquisition, no figures or titles having circulated. For Savage Game Studios, this is obviously a very important act in its young history. Sony, meanwhile, is increasingly asserting itself as a (very) ambitious company for the future. To manage the PlayStation ecosystem, the arrival of the future PS VR 2, adaptations on PC and now mobile games, you will have to be solid! But it’s a bit the common lot of all manufacturers now.
What does this arrival of Sony on the mobile gaming market inspire in you?
