Housemarque

Housemarque Is Moving From Arcade To AAA

Housemarque is a Finnish developer that initially opened its doors in 1995. They are considered by many to be the gods of arcade twin-stick shooters. With such amazing games as Resogun, Alienation and 2017’s masterpiece Nex Machina on their list of accomplishments. It is safe to say that Housemarque has always maintained a high pedigree for its games. After the release of Nex Machina despite its critical success, that did not translate to financial success for Housemarque. They announced in an infamous blog post that they simply stated “Arcade is dead”, as the studio had to move in a different direction in order to survive.

In a post from Housemarque CEO Ilari Kuittinen, goes into full detail about how the company has had to change its direction in order to survive while understanding fan disappointment in Housemarque attempting to break into the Battle Royale scene with their newest project Stormdivers. It was a neccessary step for the studio’s survival. Stormdivers is currently in closed beta and has received decent feedback from those that have had a chance to go hands on. With open beta hitting next year, it certainly is exciting to see what Housemarque can bring in their first PVP focused game.

The most interesting piece of information that we can take away from this end of year post from Housemarque is how Llari speaks of an unannounced AAA title.

“A year ago, we announced that “arcade is dead”, at least for Housemarque, ending our long-standing commitment to creating arcade inspired games. Many thought that surely the studio must be in peril and that we’d be closing our doors soon, however, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Instead of shutting down we have made the jump to AAA development and are working on a new, unannounced IP.”

While many fans may be disappointed in the new direction of Housemarque, due to their amazing talent in the arcade genre, it is exciting and great to hear that the future of the company and the creative minds behind will continue to make the games they love. Personally, I am very excited to see what Housemarque can bring to the AAA games market with their unique style and perspective.

What do you think of Housemarque’s new direction? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to check back for the latest gaming news and information.

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