Sony is buying a European game studio to help it expand PlayStation’s reach to smartphones.
The PlayStation maker is acquiring Savage Game Studios, which is working on “an unannounced new AAA mobile live service action game.” The main takeaway is that Savage Game Studios will potentially tap into the existing PlayStation game franchise catalog to build new mobile titles.
“PlayStation Studios must continue to expand and diversify our offering beyond console, bringing incredible new games to more people than ever before,” says Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios.
The acquisition is part of Sony’s plan to bolster its presence in PC and smartphone gaming over the next few years. “By FY 25 (fiscal year 2025), almost half of our new release line up will come from PC and mobile,” Sony Interactive Entertainment President Jim Ryan said in May.
There’s not a lot of information about Savage Game Studios, which was founded in 2020. But the company’s website notes it’s working to “amass a stellar list of action games over the next decade.” The European company will join the newly formed PlayStation Studios Mobile Division, which is operating independently from the PS5 console development.
In a blog post, Sony cited Savage Game Studios’ team of developers, who have extensive experience in creating mobile games at firms including Rovio, Zynga, Fun Plus, and Supercell. But despite the acquisition, Sony remains committed to developing console-based games.
“As we assured you before with our plans to bring select titles to PC, our efforts beyond console in no way diminish our commitment to the PlayStation community, nor our passion to keep making amazing single-player, narrative-driven experiences,” Hulst adds. .
Instead, Sony is signaling that smartphone games will build off the success of the console-based titles. “Our mobile gaming efforts will be similarly additive, providing more ways for more people to engage with our content, and striving to reach new audiences unfamiliar with PlayStation and our games,” Hulst says.
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