Developer Housemarque has begun work on an unannounced new IP, following the success of last year's Returnal. Following October's big 2.0 update - which added a photo mode and suspend points - it looks like PlayStation Studios' recent acquisition has moved onto other projects.
Speaking at the DICE Awards, VentureBeat reports that Housemarque managing director Ilari Kuittinen was asked about maintaining the studio's identity, confirming:
"We had our stint working on multiplayer games, because a few years back it seemed like you needed to have some kind of multiplayer experience. We tried that, and we really didn’t do it as well. But it’s early days with us starting a new game, a new IP, concepting it out. We’ll see what comes with that."
Returnal Developer Housemarque Is Working on a New IP
It's unlikely we'll see this next project anytime soon, though we're not surprised to hear something's in the works. Discussing the acquisition further, Kuittinen advised:
"This gives our studio a clear future and a stable opportunity to continue delivering on gameplay-centric approaches, while still experimenting with new methods of narrative delivery and pushing the boundaries of this modern art form."
We had strong opinions on Returnal when it launched last year. Awarding it 4.5/5, we called it "undoubtedly one of Housemarque’s best games" and "a triumph for the PlayStation 5." That's available now on exclusively on PlayStation 5, though we've previously seen rumours about a PC port.