Sony: Sony acquires another developer in a push to live service games – Times of India

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) announced that it has acquired Firewalk Studios which is developing an original AAA multiplayer game for PlayStation5 (PS5) and PC, from ProbablyMonsters Inc. The company said that Firewalk will collaborate alongside other development teams, including Bungie and Haven Interactive Studios, “to define a new generation of live service experiences for PlayStation gamers.”
Jim Ryan, president and CEO at SIE said that the studio’s upcoming project will be a robust addition to PlayStation Studios’ portfolio, and its live service and technology expertise will be instrumental in helping grow PlayStation’s reach.
Firewalk 20th studio to join PlayStation Studios
Firewalk was formed in 2018 as part of ProbablyMonsters, an independent AAA game company. ProbablyMonsters and Firewalk announced an exclusive publishing partnership with SIE in April 2021 and now Firewalk will be the 20th studio to join PlayStation Studios.

“AAA Games” is a classification used to signify high-budget, high-profile games that are produced and distributed by large, well-known publishers.
“Firewalk’s innovative approach to connected storytelling and its commitment to high-quality gameplay continues to exceed our expectations,” added Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios.
Firewalk has nearly 150 employees and their day-to-day operations post-acquisition will continue to be run by the studio’s management team in collaboration with PlayStation Studios External Development team.

Sony-Microsoft feud
The acquisition comes at a time when the Japanese company is at odds with Microsoft and has turned out to be the biggest opposition to the company’s acquisition of Call of Duty-maker Activision Blizzard. It said that the merger will allow Microsoft to dominate the gaming space with the COD franchise.
Microsoft’s $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard deal is facing regulatory hurdles in Europe, Britain and the US. Reports suggested that the company is expected to secure the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) and EU antitrust approval for the deal.
Earlier this year, Lulu Cheng Meservey, who is the executive vice president, corporate affairs and chief communications officer at Activision Blizzard, said that the CEO of SIE doesn’t want a new Call of Duty deal. “I just want to block your merger’,” he was quoted as saying.