Sony wants to repeat a successful PlayStation 4 strategy on the PlayStation 5. Sony Interactive Entertainment tapped Resogun developer Housemarque to build Returnal for the PlayStation 5. Returnal is a moody, sci-fi action game starring a woman apparently stuck on a harsh, unforgiving world.
Returnal does not have a release date.
While Housemarque is returning to launch a game on PlayStation 5, Returnal is a slight departure for the studio. The company previously focused on arcade-style releases with quick, replayable action. Returnal puts more emphasis on character and narrative.
Resogun was a PlayStation 4 launch game. And in the days before Uncharted 4 and God of War, it was developers like Housemarque that filled out the PS4’s library. Sony didn’t originally believe the PS4 would turn into a massive hit. When the system caught on around the world, that caught SIE unprepared. It took years for the publisher to meet the demand for blockbuster releases.
But from launch, smaller studios like Housemarque were helping Sony pad out its roster of releases. And Resogun, with its arcade-style shooter action, was an immediate standout at launch.
For the PS5, Sony is ready with a lineup of tentpole, big-budget games. But those are still going to take time. That’s both because Sony wants to polish those games to perfection and because it wants to give PS5 time to grow its owner base.
In the meantime, however, Housemarque can help holdover fans while they wait for God of War 2 and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.