After a slip earlier this year revealing plans to do so, Sony has finally officially announced its acquisition of Bluepoint Games, welcoming the notable remaster and remake developer to the PlayStation Studios family. However, what Bluepoint is up to next isn’t another remaster or remake, but “original content” that the studio sees as the next evolution of itself.
Introducing the next member of the PlayStation Studios family… pic.twitter.com/mRDLD5KwDM
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 30, 2021
Bluepoint began its notability with its work on remasters of beloved games like the God of War Collection, The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection, and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. It started to evolve with full remakes of games—2018’s stunning PS4 release of Shadow of the Colossus, and Demon’s Souls as a PS5 launch title in 2020. As a part of PlayStation Studios, Bluepoint President Marco Thrush told IGN that the studio’s next project is now original content, something he feels is the next evolution of Bluepoint’s growth.
“Our next project, we’re working on original content right now. We can’t talk about what that is, but that’s the next step in the evolution for us,” Thrush said to IGN. Even the growth from remasters to remakes was a huge step up that allowed the studios to create original work on top of an established blueprint. However, Thrush stops short of revealing much about what “original content” actually means. It could be creating an all new IP of their own, or it could be developing the next entry to an established IP—something that would still be considered “original content.” Though it’s notable that he chose the phrasing “original content” rather then “new IP” or “original title.”
Up until now, Bluepoint has always been an independent studio, even though its worked closely with Sony over the years. Only two of its games have ever gone to a non-PlayStation platform: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection also released on Xbox 360, and the team did the Xbox 360 port of Titanfall. But outside of those two experiences with Konami and Electronic Arts, Bluepoint’s work has always been with Sony and PlayStation.
The acquisition allows Bluepoint to retain its size and studio culture while allowing people on the Sony side to fill in for any gaps. This means that the studio can focus on what it does best, the games, while leaning on the resources that Sony has. Hulst said:
I’ve also in my past run an independent studio, and I realized that the amount of work you need to do, even when you have close partnerships, on business acquisition and making sure you hedge your bets, there’s a lot of energy that goes into that. I know that if we take that off of [Thrush’s] plate and let him focus on what he wants to focus on with his team… then I think that’s good for both parties. It’s good for them because they get to do what they love most, and it’s great for us because there’s even more focus by Bluepoint on what we want. And that is amazing content, amazing games to come out of Bluepoint.
All of Sony’s acquisitions are made around giving already talented and proven teams the ability to do the work with the resources of Sony and PlayStation backing them, providing a security they may not have as independent developers. It’s not just about scooping studios up for the sake of getting bigger, but about empowering teams to do their best work free of all the concerns that come with being independent.
From the sounds of things, we aren’t likely to see Bluepoint’s next game anytime soon, but PlayStation Studios Head Hermen Hulst is happy to step back and let Bluepoint take its time on the upcoming project. “It’s always about making quality games in a way that’s sustainable for the teams, for the individuals on the teams,” Hulst said. “Because obviously when we acquired team like Bluepoint, this is a long-term play for us, right? We’re not in it to get some quick results.”
[Source: PlayStation Blog, IGN]
