Robert D. Thompson 
Sony Interactive Entertainment has reached an agreement to acquire Haven Entertainment Studios, the Montreal studio founded by Jade Raymond, the companies announcement. The acquisition cost has not been disclosed.
Haven Entertainment Studios was originally founded in March 2021 with investment from Sony Interactive Entertainment, and is led by a “first team” of game creators with over a decade of experience collaborating on “some of the games and franchises in the industry”. It currently has over 60 employees and continues to grow.
The studio is currently working on a “new live service experience” for PlayStation “built on a systemic, evolving world of freedom, thrill and play.”
“Haven Studios is an emerging studio with an exceptional team of talent, and we are thrilled to welcome them to PlayStation as our first game development studio in Canada,” said Sony President and CEO. Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan, in a press release. “The studio’s focus on creating an original AAA multiplayer game will not only flex the power of the PlayStation 5, but will further expand the diverse catalog of gaming experiences only found on PlayStation. .”
Head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst, added: “We’ve had the privilege of working closely with the team at Haven Studios over the past year and have been extremely impressed with their growth and the progress of his first project. Jade has built a world-class team with the creative and technical prowess needed to deliver such an ambitious project. We appreciate the studio’s dedication to creating a player-focused, collaborative gaming environment that can last for generations and are thrilled to have them officially part of PlayStation Studios.
Jade Raymond, Founder and CEO of Haven Entertainment Studios, said, “Joining PlayStation Studios gives Haven the creative freedom and unparalleled support to focus on making the highest quality games. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate and learn from all the great teams at PlayStation Studios. We intend to fully exploit the incredible capabilities of PlayStation 5 to create new worlds that inspire players and allow them to connect in new ways.
After the acquisition, the day-to-day operations of Haven Entertainment Studios will continue to be managed by its management team in close collaboration with the PlayStation Studios management team.
Find below a message from Jade Raymond on the acquisition, via PlayStation Blog.
A year ago this month, we embarked on a journey to start Haven Studios with a small team and big ambitions. Our goal was to build a studio where we could make the kind of games we always wanted to make, and games we aspired to!
We have made incredible progress in a short time thanks to our talented and passionate team and their exceptional contributions. We have established a culture at Haven based on kindness, adaptability and courage that unleashes creativity. Our first new IP for PlayStation is on track to deliver an AAA multiplayer experience with a vision to build a systemic and evolving world of freedom, thrill and play that will entertain and engage gamers for years to come.
Today, the Haven team begins a new phase of their journey, within the PlayStation Studios family. Working with Hermen, Connie Booth and the team at PlayStation over the past year has been a career highlight. SIE is a supporting partner that truly understands the creative process and what it takes to create a successful AAA game. They have empowered and encouraged us to bring our bold vision to life and achieve our dreams and we couldn’t be happier for this opportunity to strengthen our partnership.
As an SIE proprietary studio, we will have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most renowned development teams in the world, including studios like Guerrilla, Naughty Dog, Media Molecule and Insomniac Games, the creators of games that have inspired us. as players. and developers for years. We are thrilled to learn from these world-class studios, as well as the outstanding core creative, technology, and marketing teams whose expertise will enable us to bring even better games to players.
To our Haven team – a big thank you. It’s been one of the most rewarding years of my career, and for the players, we can’t wait to share more. We are only at the beginning of what will undoubtedly be a wonderful adventure that will span generations.
Jade Raymond
CEO and Founder, Haven Studios
