Firewalk Studios, formed by ex-Bungie devs, is working on an “original” triple-A live service game for its new owner, PlayStation.
PlayStation – or Sony Interactive Entertainment, if you’re feeling formal – has bought up Washington-based firm Firewalk Studios, it’s been announced.
According to the PlayStation Blog, which broke the news yesterday, Firewalk is “already hard at work on their first original AAA multiplayer game for PlayStation.”
Firewalk Studios originally started out as a spin-off company from independent outfit, ProbablyMonsters, and was founded by three ex-Bungie developers, among them Ryan Ellis and Tony Hsu.
“Over five years ago, we jumped at the chance to set up a new studio and build a new IP from the ground up,” Ellis and Hsu wrote in a joint statement published on the above-mentioned blog. “Recalling our own favourite times with games, we founded Firewalk Studios around the idea of delivering memorable moments – those amazing, had-to-be-there times shared with other people. Our goal is to deliver those shared moments of joy to players around the world.”
SIE’s latest acquisition is part of a stated drive to grow the firm’s “live service operations”; head of PlayStation Studios, Herman Hulst, writes, “We continue to be impressed by the team’s ambitions to build a modern multiplayer game in that connects players in new and innovative ways.”
It’s interesting to see how veterans of the Halo and Destiny franchises are gradually drifting to other companies to make new properties. Earlier this week, it was announced that former Bungie, Microsoft and 343 Industries veteran Joseph Staten had moved over to Netflix to make a “triple-A multiplatform game” for example.
Exactly what Firewalk is working on is currently unclear, though if they’ve been working on the project for around five years or so, SIE’s acquisition announcement could be the foundation for more details in the near future. Given their pedigree, we wouldn’t be surprised if something along the lines of Destiny or Halo Infinite was in the offing.
