Housemarque co-founder leaves studio after 31 years

Though not quite a household name, Housemarque’s cache has risen greatly in recent years, thanks to their acquisition by PlayStation as well as the PS5 launches of both Returnal and Saros. Founded by Harri Tikkanen and Ilari Kuittinen back in 1995, the latter of the two has now officially announced his departure from Housemarque.

Taking to Twitter to make the announcement, Housemarque's co-founder Ilari Kuittinen wrote: “After 33 years in the games industry and 31 incredible years at Housemarque – the studio I co-founded with Harri Tikkanen – today marks my last day as a Housemarquean.”

The full statement includes plenty of pleasantries thanking fellow developers; friends; fans and the industry as a whole. In terms of how this affects the studio, plans were said to have been already put in place, with Sami Hakala officially taking on the role of Managing Director this past July.

While Saros failed to immediately push Housemarque to the mainstream, the studio has consistently released excellent titles over the past 30 years – culminating in two of their best and most ambitious projects. After 3 decades at the studio, Ilari Kuittinen has certainly earned a much-needed rest.

The creative concluded with the following: “Strive to be a better professional, and a better human being. Take care of each other, speak with courage, and keep pushing the boundaries of what games can be.”

KitGuru says: What do you think of this latest announcement? Was it simply time for Kuittinen to move on? Between Saros and Returnal, which do you prefer? Let us know down below.

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