Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios is being very quiet over their upcoming brand new exclusive IP for PS5. However, an interview with Raymond, Paola Jouyaux, and Pierre-François “Sapin” Sapinski has revealed the game was one of three pitched to Sony, who then offered to fund all of them. Not wanting to overwork themselves, Haven decided to concentrate on just one of them instead.
What we know about Haven Studios’ new game
After the studio was founded, the new game was one of three large-scale projects they were asked to submit to Sony for consideration. The idea was Sony would initially fund the development of one of them, but they were so impressed they offered to fund all three. Haven decided that they would concentrate on just the one project first rather than spread themselves too thin. At the end of the day, the studio has just 25 members at the time of the interview – the five founders and 20 former Google employees – and there’s a limit to what a team of that size can realistically achieve at once. Whether the other two projects will ever see the light of day remains to be seen.
Very little has been said about the new game since the studio was formed last year. However, in an interview with Le Devoir it was confirmed the game will feature a persistent and evolving online environment that was compared to that of Rainbow Six Siege. Don’t expect a first-person military shooter, though – Haven has said the gameplay will be quite different so that they can include as many players as possible.
As Joyaux said: “These environments are not just games, they are also social platforms for many players. It has to stay that way. To last, a game must remain pleasant to visit.” This seems to suggest a form of co-operative multiplayer rather than a competitive environment. The game may also release on PC alongside PlayStation 5 and it wouldn’t be too much of a leap of logic to assume there may be cross-play between the two platforms. Until an official announcement, though, we’re left putting few details together.
In other news, The Wolf Among Us 2 will take center stage in a behind-the-scenes stream due to air later this week. As well as details that could include that elusive release date, there will be a new trailer to see. Elsewhere, PSVR 2 development may not be as far ahead as previously thought after eye tracking specialists Tobii confirmed they were in negotiations with Sony to provide their technology for use in the headset.
