PlayStation Studios Shaken by Another Major Departure as Head Steps Down

Another major leadership departure is shaking up a PlayStation-owned developer. Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder and managing director of Housemarque, announced via X that his final day with the company has arrived. According to his farewell statement, this handover has been in motion for quite some time, with Sami “Haxu” Hakala officially taking over the reins as managing director on July 1. After dedicating 33 years to the gaming industry—including 31 remarkable years at Housemarque—Kuittinen intends to step back for a well-deserved sabbatical, though he plans to remain loosely involved through consulting, industry events, and advisory roles.

Reflecting on his tenure, Kuittinen shared a heartfelt farewell message:

Together, we’ve achieved milestones I couldn’t have possibly fathomed when we first set out:

· Elevating Finnish game development onto the global stage.

· Crafting studio-defining masterpieces—ranging from Supreme Snowboarding, Super Stardust HD, and Resogun, all the way to our blockbuster AAA triumphs like Returnal and our recent launch, Saros.

· Maturing into a premier AAA powerhouse while fiercely safeguarding our distinct creative soul.

What games has Housemarque made?

Hailing from Finland, Housemarque carved out its legacy crafting high-octane, arcade-infused action titles. Though the studio had been operating for years, it burst into mainstream consciousness with 1999’s Supreme Snowboarding, which moved over a million units. Sony later published the studio’s mesmerizing Super Stardust HD in 2007, sparking a fruitful, long-term partnership that birthed acclaimed titles like Dead Nation and Resogun. Despite widespread critical acclaim, Kuittinen famously declared that the “Arcade is dead” in a candid 2017 open letter, noting that their traditional arcade releases were underperforming commercially and forcing the studio to pivot.

That strategic shift materialized in 2021 with the release of Returnal, a breathtaking roguelike action thriller that married the studio’s signature lightning-fast mechanics with a deep, atmospheric sci-fi narrative. Impressed by its success, Sony acquired Housemarque, bringing them directly into the PlayStation Studios family shortly after the game launched exclusively on the PS5.

Earlier this year, Housemarque rolled out Saros. Data from Alinea Analytics indicated a softer-than-expected commercial debut with roughly 300,000 copies sold, though the developer brushed off concerns in a conversation with The Game Business, pointing out that Returnal experienced a similarly gradual launch trajectory.

While any direct link between Saros’ lukewarm early numbers and Kuittinen’s exit remains unconfirmed, he is far from the only veteran studio founder to step away from PlayStation recently. Insomniac Games co-founder Ted Price retired in January 2025, closely followed by Sucker Punch co-founder Brian Fleming in December 2025. Amid plateauing console hardware sales driven by rising hardware costs, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki recently noted in a Wall Street Journal interview that the corporation’s primary objective is to drive higher engagement and spending from its current user base—making robust software sales a critical piece of the puzzle.

Simultaneously, Sony has encountered heavy community backlash following announcements that physical disc manufacturing will wind down by 2028. This transition has stoked widespread anxiety regarding the long-term viability of media preservation and ownership, particularly as Sony navigates legal arguments asserting that consumers do not technically own their digital game libraries.

‘Only On PS5’ is doing a lot for Sony

Source: Polygon