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Updated:After Google Stadia shut down first-party game development operations, a number of developers have reemerged at former Stadia games boss Jade Raymond at her new Sony-backed Haven Studios.

Chris Kerr, News Editor

May 5, 2021

1 Min Read

After Google Stadia shut down first-party game development operations, a number of developers have reemerged at former Stadia games boss Jade Raymond at her new Sony-backed Haven Studios.

Haven was formed by Raymond earlier this year following her own departure from Stadia, with the veteran developer having initially being hired by Google in 2019 to oversee its Stadia Games and Entertainment Team.

Google decided to shut down its first-party game studios earlier this year to refocus Stadia as a platform provider, resulting in Raymond leaving the company. The former Ubisoft Toronto and EA Motive boss went on to establish Haven a few weeks later, and is currently working on a new original franchise for PlayStation. 

Now, as spotted by ResetEra user Cyberia, it seems a number of ex-Stadia Games and Entertainment developers have joined Raymond at the fledgling Canadian studio, including former general manager Sebastien Puel -- whose Linkedin page lists them as a Haven co-founder. 

Other Haven newcomers include world and IP director Corey May, insights director Jonathan Dankoff, concept artists Erwann Le Rouzic and Francis Denoncourt, and software engineer Pierre-Marc Berube.

The departures come days after Google confirmed Stadia VP and head of product John Justice had left the company.

Update 5/5/2021: This piece has been updated to reflect that the named developers departed the Stadia Games and Entertainment team, as opposed to the general Google Stadia team.

About the Author(s)

Chris Kerr

News Editor, GameDeveloper.com

Game Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, and PocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.

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