Housemarque wouldn't be working on SAROS if not for Sony
, by Thibaut
Back in July 2021, Housemarque was acquired by PlayStation. Prior to this, the two companies had worked together extensively on titles such as Resogun, Nex Machina and Dead Nation.
So, after the excellent Returnal got released on PS5 in April 2021 (then on PC in February 2023), the Finnish studio announced SAROS last month. And if we are to believe CEO Ilari Kuittinen, this new project wouldn't have been possible without Sony's help.
While we don't know the exact budget for the game, Kuittinen revealed that SAROS has costed several tens of millions of euros. This budget is similar to that of another Finnish game, Alan Wake 2, whose development is estimated to have costed 70 million euros. It began in 2022, and Housemarque's CEO believes that "you wouldn't have been able to make such investments as an independent studio".
Housemarque also gave some details on the SAROS scenario.
"Saros is an action game that tells the gripping story of a lost colony on Carcosa, under an ominous eclipse. You play as Arjun Devraj, a powerful Soltari Enforcer who will stop at nothing to find the one he seeks. Our aim is to create a powerful, emotional study of a character who confronts the price he must pay to create a new future".
Source: hs.fi