Jade Raymond announced the founding of Haven Studios, a new Montreal-based independent studio working on a new unannounced IP for PlayStation. Raymond is bringing together other developers she’s worked with over the years, saying that she wants them to be able to “practice our crafts without any barriers or impediments.” This comes just following the collapse of Google Stadia’s internal development studio, Stadia Games and Entertainment, of which Raymond was an executive for two years.
Sony is investing in the studio, and the announcement from Raymond comes by way of the PlayStation Blog. “We believe in the power of games to bring joy to people’s lives. And Sony does, too,” Raymond said. “Their commitment to excellence is unmatched. It’s why I couldn’t be happier for their backing and support.”
You can read Raymond’s full statement about the creation of Haven below:
Today I’m announcing Haven, an independent studio where many of the talented game developers I have worked with for years (and love dearly!) are coming together to do what we are most passionate about. It’s time for us to refocus on GAMES in a place where we can practice our crafts without any barriers or impediments. We want to create worlds where players can escape, have fun, express themselves, and find community. We want to pour our passion into a project. We want to make something wondrous for people to experience. Because we believe in the power of games to bring joy to people’s lives. And Sony does, too. Their commitment to excellence is unmatched. It’s why I couldn’t be happier for their backing and support.
Together, we want to create games that are a haven for players, and we want to build a studio that is a haven for developers. So, while we don’t have many details to announce today, I want the PlayStation community to know that Haven Studios is already hard at work on an unannounced IP. We can’t wait to show you more!
Raymond is perhaps best known for her tenure at Ubisoft where she was executive producer on Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs. She then left Ubisoft and founded EA Motive. She then left Motive and joined Google to lead Stadia’s internal development team. Raymond has had trouble shipping any games over the last six years as EA and Google have put barricades in the way of making games. That’s why it’s notable that she talks about focus on games and creative freedom at the core of developing the experience first. EA and Google were notoriously focused on services, monetization, and aspects of development aside from the simple passion of making a game.
“It’s time for us to refocus on GAMES in a place where we can practice our crafts without any barriers or impediments,” Raymond said. “We want to create worlds where players can escape, have fun, express themselves, and find community. We want to pour our passion into a project. We want to make something wondrous for people to experience. Because we believe in the power of games to bring joy to people’s lives.”
As of yet, Haven Studios doesn’t even have a logo or a website, so there’s no hint of what Raymond’s studio is up to just yet, but with the backing of PlayStation and Raymond’s own expertise, it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on.
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
