Saros developer Housemarque is hoping to have the same trajectory as Elden Ring creator FromSoftware.
In a new interview with The Game Business, the team behind Saros spoke about their ambitions for the future. They’re aware that Saros hasn’t met the same commercial success as other first-party PlayStation games, but believe that their games find an audience over time rather than all at once at launch.
With that said, Housemarque is aware that it operates in its own niche, but has seen how that has worked for a studio like FromSoftware. Founded in 1986 and initially focussed business software, FromSoftware released its first action RPG, King’s Field, back in 1994 on the original PlayStation. After two more King’s Field games, the studio established the long-running mecha series Armored Core and developed a variety of other action RPGs throughout the late ’90s and 2000s. However, it was 2009’s Demon’s Souls and the subsequent Dark Souls trilogy that would prove to be the studio’s true breakout hits, setting the stage for the even more successful Bloodborne and Elden Ring. It was a slow rise to prominence, and one that meant FromSoftware didn’t become a household name among gamers until decades after the studio was established.
“FromSoftware [has] been doing a similar genre for a very long time and built up [its] fan base [over that period],” stated Housemarque studio head and co-founder Ilari Kuittinen. “We have two unique games out. Returnal, Saros. It’s kind of a new thing that you need to educate the market about, so that people say, ‘Hey, these flow states are really cool.'”
Housemarque isn’t claiming to believe that it will match the exact same heights as FromSoftware, but hopes to have a similar trajectory in the long run.
“FromSoftware’s journey from King’s Field to what [it is] today… We’re not presuming that we would be anywhere close to that,” Kuittinen continued. “But, [like FromSoftware], we will keep our core, keep educating the market that these are the coolest games you can play. That’s our goal.”
Housemarque has been around for 30 years now, but really only began to find its voice as a studio in 2013 when it developed Resogun. Since then, the team has been focusing on fast-paced, intense shooters that have largely been showered in critical praise. The success of the studio’s first PS5 game, Returnal, even led to PlayStation acquiring Housemarque in 2021.
While it remains to be seen what’s next for Housemarque, it does seem like it will continue to lean into its strengths by making highly replayable and difficult shooters.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
