By acquiring Savage Game Studios, Sony plans on getting into the mobile games space with PlayStation's newly formed mobile division.
PlayStation has entered a "definitive agreement" to acquire Savage Game Studios. Announced on the PlayStation Blog, the mobile game developer will also join a PlayStation mobile division that's just been created.
Acquiring Savage Game Studios helps Sony take a step into mobile games, said PlayStation Studios head Herman Hulst. Mobile games have proven to be a successful market over the years, but that's a territory that, similar to the handheld games space, Sony hasn't put much focus on in the past.
Savage Game Studios was founded in 2020 by CEO Michail Katkoff, along with Nadjim Adjir and Michael McManus. In 2021, the studio secured $4.4 million in funding to create a competitive shooter for the mobile games market. Katkoff said the developer's title would be made without intending to pressure players to return on a constant basis.
Speaking about the merger with PlayStation, Katkoff said that it would allow the studio support that "only PlayStation can provide."
"We believe that PlayStation Studios’ leadership respects our vision for how we can best operate and succeed, and because they too are not afraid to take chances.," continued Katkoff.
Hulst hopes that the new mobile division will "provide more ways for more people to engage with our content, and striving to reach new audiences unfamiliar with PlayStation and our games."
Earlier in the year, Sony Interactive CEO Jim Ryan discussed how he wanted PlayStation to have PC and mobile titles by 2025. Beyond the mobile division, the expansion into mobile will involve co-developing games with established mobile game developers.
Hulst was quick to add that as with the recent focus on porting PS titles over to PC, getting into the mobile space "in no way diminishes our commitment to the PlayStation community, nor our passion to keep making amazing single-player, narrative-driven experiences." The mobile division will be separate from console games development and be "additive," with a focus on creating titles that are wholly new or based on already existing PlayStation franchises.
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