Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen has introduced his exit from the PlayStation studio after 31 years.
The Saros developer shared the news with its followers with Kuittinen’s last message, confirming at present as his final with the crew. It is a prolonged letter to followers that noticed the studio head wave goodbye after overseeing the launch of arcade-y classics like Saros, Returnal, Resogun, and extra.
“After 33 years within the video games business and 31 unimaginable years at Housemarque—the studio I co-founded with Harri Tikkanen—at present marks my final day on the firm,” he stated. “Beginning out in 1993 with Terramarque, after which becoming a member of forces with Harri to ascertain Housemarque in 1995, we had a ardour for video games however no actual blueprint for constructing a enterprise. Wanting again, I really feel immensely lucky. We had the luck of being in the precise place on the proper time throughout three many years of unimaginable business progress, permitting us to remain fiercely unbiased for 26 years earlier than discovering a house inside the PlayStation Studios household.”
“My core objective as a pacesetter has all the time been easy: to facilitate an atmosphere the place extraordinary creators have the liberty and safety to do what they do greatest.”
Housemarque has advanced in distinctive methods by the years. Although its dedication to gameplay has remained by the many years, it branched past easy shoot-em-ups all through the lifecycles of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.
PlayStation followers will bear in mind when Resogun helped the PS4 launch in 2013. Twin-stick shooters like Alienation and Nex Machina would then arrive in 2016 and 2017, respectively, however Housemarque then went on to actually push the boundaries of its capabilities with its extra story-driven roguelike, Returnal, for PS5 in April 2021.
Sony formally cemented the corporate as a PlayStation Studio later that very same yr, and in April of this yr, it launched its follow-up, Saros. Kuittinen was there for all of it.
In his letter, he pointed to Housemarque’s evolution right into a AAA developer, its video games, and its standing as a pioneering Finnish sport studio as three notably noteworthy achievements he and the crew have managed to perform. He additionally clarified that this is not a sudden change; studio veteran Sami ‘Haxu’ Hakala took over as managing director July 1, 2026. It is one thing Kuittinen stated he, Hakala, and the remainder of the crew have been rigorously planning behind-the-scenes.
“Housemarque’s technique and artistic imaginative and prescient are in distinctive palms,” he added. “As for me? After 33 steady years and not using a main break, I’m taking a uncommon and well-deserved breather looking for out how good I’m at doing nothing! To Harri, our companions at SIE, our international business buddies, and each single crew member who has ever walked by Housemarque’s doorways: thanks for making the previous 31 years the privilege of a lifetime.”
A last message from our co-founder, Ilari Kuittinen pic.twitter.com/ubf0yZJBWq
— Housemarque (@Housemarque) August 31, 2026
IGN gave Saros a 7/10 evaluate upon its launch earlier this yr. We stated, on the time, that it “tries at an fascinating and bold story it is not all the time in a position to successfully inform, however Housemarque has as soon as once more proved that its bullet-hell sensibilities mesh extremely nicely with fluid and difficult motion.”
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is greatest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. You’ll want to give him a comply with on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).