Most underrated PlayStation Studio expands for new game after Returnal By Kes Eylers-Stephenson, 03 May 2023 FollowtopicsIndustry NewsPlayStation 4PlayStation 5Kes Eylers-Stephenson Housemarque is one of the most underrated PlayStation Studios and now it's upgrading for a new game after Returnal, one of PS5's best games.If you've collected all those Returnal trophies, then we think you'll understand when we say that developer Housemarque is one of the most underrated teams on the PlayStation Studios. Sony clearly knows the Finnish team is making good games, however: Housemarque is ramping up with more staff for a new game.Returnal was a grand PS5 success for HousemarqueHousemarque ready for new game with a bigger teamSpeaking at the Reboot Develop Blue conference this year, Housemarque's head Ilari Kuittinen was given an interesting description ahead of his talk: "The company is currently focusing on developing the next game production under PlayStation Studios umbrella and has grown to 110 people strong company." At last count, the studio was at 80 staff members, meaning the headcount has increased by a third since at least 2021, when Housemarque was acquired by Sony in July 2021.Housemarque released sci-fi, roguelike, third-person shooter Returnal in April 2021 to critical and fan acclaim and, as such, the title has ended up with a place on our best PS5 games list. It was the first time the Finnish team stepped up to AAA-style trapping in graphical quality after years of wonderful arcade-style games. While this list of games the team has made is long, many will remember the glorious side-scrolling shooter Resogun (2013) at the PS4's launch which came to many via PS Plus. It was preceded by the twin-stick zombie shooter Dead Nation (2010) on PS3 and PS Vita.These games often fly under the radar, but the rest of Housemarque's catalog includes fantastic games like Super Stardust HD (2007), Alien Nation (2016), Nex Machina (2017), Matterfall (2017), and Outland (2011). It's an underrated PlayStation Studio, no doubt, capable of delivering those finger-twitching, mind-meltingly addictive experiences you can't help playing again one more time. We are so glad the arcade isn't dead, as the studio proclaimed famously in 2017.What do you think of the scale-up for Housemarque? What do you want from its next game? Let us know in the comments exactly how underrated you think this team is, and we will see you there!Related stories: Best PS Portal games - 15 portable PS5 games for February 2025 New PlayStation Studios game will revive PS5’s single-player output PS Stars is now shaming players for unlocking PS5 trophies too slowly PS5 gem Returnal performs half as well as Sony's last PC port Returnal and Sackboy look set to be the next PlayStation PC games Industry NewsPlayStation 5PlayStation 4 ProPlayStation 4 Written by Kes Eylers-StephensonEditor-in-Chief Kes is our resident expert in PlayStation and Sony news. He writes about PS5 games like The Witcher IV, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Kingdom Come Deliverance II using experience from years of PlayStation gaming. He also covers PS Plus news and some of the best PS5 games — Uncharted, God of War, and The Last of Us — before an evening swim.