Sony acquired the mobile game development studio to push its mission forward to expand its community of gamers across all platforms.
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) announced Monday that it has an agreement in place to acquire mobile game development company Savage Game Studios.
SIE, a Sony subsidiary, is responsible for PlayStation’s brand, products, and services; when the deal closes, Savage Game Studios will join SIE’s newly-launched PlayStation Studios Mobile Division, which will operate independently from console development. The division is focused on creating and expanding player experiences based on PlayStation’s IP, especially in the mobile space.
The acquisition and the new department come to fruition as part of SIE’s mission to expand its community of gamers in a broader range of territories and demographics.
The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
As Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios, said in an official news release:
“PlayStation Studios must continue to expand and diversify our offering beyond console, bringing incredible new games to more people than ever before. Acquiring the talented team at Savage Game Studios is another strategic step towards that goal. I’m really excited about what Savage is working on, and I’m confident they will deliver a high-quality experience. Our move into mobile, like our expansion into PC and live service games, strengthens our capabilities and our community and complements PlayStation Studios’ purpose to make the best games that we can.”
Savage Game Studios was founded in 2020 by veteran gaming developers Michail Katkoff, Nadjim Adjir, and Michael McManus. The trio has worked at many leading gaming companies, including Zynga, Insomniac, Rovio, and Wargaming. Katkoff, Adjir, and McManus will continue to lead Savage Game Studios’ day-to-day operations, which include work on a not-yet-announced mobile live service action game.
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Moving ahead, Savage Game Studios’ founders plan to leverage their years of mobile game development experience to bring the PlayStation community new content.
“Today’s announcement reflects our firm belief that SIE shares our passion for experimentation and taking risks,” Katkoff said in a statement. “We have great admiration for the consistency and quality of PlayStation’s first-party catalog, knowing just how hard it is in this industry to deliver time and time again as they have. We’re honored to become part of that legacy.”
SIE’s acquisition of Savage Game Studios comes about a month after Sony announced the acquisition of Bungie, the gaming studio behind the Halo and Destiny franchises, in a $3.6 billion deal. Bungie is similarly working under SIE’s umbrella as an independent game development house while collaborating with PlayStation Studios on strategy.
Against the backdrop of PlayStation 5 console prices jumping in international markets last week, it will be particularly intriguing to follow just how these gaming studio acquisitions affect Sony’s business in the big picture.
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