Why is the Japanese company so invested in buying a studio with no games yet? Perhaps PlayStation saw great potential in Haven Studios.

To the surprise of many, PlayStation announced yesterday the purchase of Haven Studios, a team led by Ubisoft, EA and Google veteran Jade Raymond but whose work we still don’t know beyond great promises. Until now, the Japanese firm has been more inclined to join the ranks of studios with a long tradition of working exclusively for its consoles, but what did they see as different in the Canadian team?

“You’re right; we could have continued to have an external collaboration,” acknowledges Hermen Hust, head of PlayStation Studios, in a chat with GamesIndustry. “But what Haven is creating is so exciting for us that there was a desire to deepen that relationship,” adds Hust, who says he’s impressed with the talent assembled at Haven in Sony’s development division.

“It’s easier for us to invest more deeply in the team and the game this way,” Hust continues, praising the Canadian studio’s capabilities. Nevertheless, the Guerilla Games co-founder has facts to trust in Haven’s work. “We’re very impressed with the progress they’ve made. They surpass many of the plans, including time, which is unusual in game development.

As GamesIndustry reminds us, Haven Studio will be the first PlayStation Studios company located in Canada – specifically Montreal – allowing Sony’s division to land in one of the world’s busiest software development hotspots. It is home to teams from Activision Blizzard, EA, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sega, Square Enix, Tencent, Take-Two, Ubisoft and others.

“We’re finally in Canada, we’re finally in Quebec, and we’ve set out with a team that is deeply rooted in the region,” says Hulst, convinced that he can tap into the incredible talent in this area, just as they do in other major creative hubs around the world in the US, Europe and Japan. Haven, remember, is currently working on a triple-A multiplayer experience.

Source: Polygon