After Returnal was released, Housemarque said they were hoping to be able to create “bigger types of experiences” so they would no longer be known as the Resogun studio, and it seems like Sony is helping them to do that. In a new interview, the developer has revealed that Sony’s acquisition of Housemarque has given them “a runway to go even wilder” on their next game.
How Sony is helping Housemarque to “go even wilder”
Housemarque has already said their next game will be a new IP as they’re moving away from the Returnal franchise for now. Senior Narrative Designer Eevi Korhonen explained to VGC how Returnal created an idea of what a Housemarque narrative would be like, but now they’re looking to explore beyond that. Thanks to “all that financial backing and stability” from Sony, the developer now has “a runway to go even wilder” with that narrative. Sony was also extremely accommodating during the creation of Returnal. Korhonen explained how Housemarque never “faced too much pressure” from Sony during the game’s development despite it being the studio’s first attempt at a AAA game.
While the next game is based upon an entirely new IP, this doesn’t mean the team is leaving Returnal behind completely. Korhonen had already explained how some of Returnal’s “ideas and narrative systems” got left on the cutting room floor as the team struggled to fit all of their ideas into the game. Now she is “super excited to pick up those pieces and see how those fit our new IP story”. And once this game is finished, Returnal 2 may be an option for the future.
In other news, Cuphead developer StudioMDHR has said it made sure to prioritize the mental health of its staff over the release date of their The Delicious Last Course DLC. Elsewhere, fan reaction has been divided after Striking Distance Studios revealed they were using real-life violence and gore as inspiration for The Callisto Protocol.
