The Persistence VR dev Firesprite has joined PlayStation Studios

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has acquired The Persistence VR developer Firesprite for an undisclosed fee.

Based in the UK, Firesprite was founded in 2012 by veterans from SIE's Liverpool Studio and currently has over 200 employees.

The studio is best known for working on PlayStation VR titles like The Persistence VR and The Playroom VR, with the company having collaborated with Sony on both of those projects. It has also partnered with SIE to develop titles for other peripherals like The Playroom, which made use of the PlayStation Camera.

Sony claims Firesprite will "play a critical role" in strengthening its exclusive games catalog in genres outside of PlayStation Studios core offerings, with PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst suggesting the UK developer will again be tasked with creating experiences that showcase new PlayStation tech.

"Creating quality, state-of-the-art games has always been at the forefront of Firesprite's work and I’m confident they will push the bar even further as part of PlayStation Studios," commented Hulst. "Firesprite’s ability to weave best-in-class gameplay with new technology is exceptional and I think fans will be excited about their creative vision for the future."

The deal means there are now 14 studios under the first-party PlayStation Studios banner, which was recently bolstered with the additions of Returnal developer Housemarque and Dutch technical development studio Nixxes Software.