A few years ago, gaming giants Microsoft (Xbox) and Sony (PlayStation) went on an acquisition spree, buying up studios both left and right. Xbox became too big in some cases, the acquisition of Bethesda / ZeniMax Media is enough proof of this, but it seems that PlayStation has become more strategic at times. Between 2018 and 2022, Xbox acquired Playground Games, Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, Compulsion Games, Obsidian Entertainment, InXile Entertainment, Double Fine Productions, ZeniMax Media, and Activision Blizzard King. Between 2019 and 2022, PlayStation acquired Insomniac Games, Nixxes Software, Firesprite, Bluepoint Games, Housemarque, Valkyrie Entertainment, Haven Studios, Bungie, Neon Koi, and Firewalk.
The result, years later, has been disastrous for both sides. Microsoft's massive cuts to Activision Blizzard King and Xbox Studios are no secret. Sony isn't doing too well, with the recent decision to shut down Bluepoint Games shocking the industry. In fact, looking at the list of studios acquired by Sony since 2019, it's clear that many haven't changed for the better, with 60% of studios experiencing widespread layoffs or closing entirely.
Bluepoint Games (Demon's Souls, Shadow of the Colossus)
Bluepoint Games specializes in remasters/remakes, producing many high-quality titles for the PlayStation over the years. Still, they weren't fully acquired until this season, perhaps the most notable (and recent) of the bunch. Demon spirits Remake, a PS5 launch exclusive, and Shadow of the Colossus. It also helped Santa Monica God of War RagnarokAnd it's worth noting that Santa Monica is also currently working on one god of war The trilogy remake. After Ragnarok, Bluepoint Games worked on the live-service god of war The canceled game, and everything in the studio went quiet until recently: Sony announced that Bluepoint Games will close its doors in March 2026.
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Insomniac Games (Marvel's Spider-Man, Marvel's Wolverine)
Insomniac Games is a household PlayStation studio name, especially after its acquisition. It produced a lover Marvel's Spider-Man Games and is set to release Marvel's Wolverine In 2026. Despite this, it's not immune to the industry's rocky landscape, with Sony overseeing an extensive workforce affecting Insomniac Games in 2024. It is not confirmed how many people were removed.
Nixxes Software (ports, support)
Nixxes Software is a role player for PlayStation Studios, working extensively on ports and offering support for other studios. There are no known reports of the Nixes software being dropped, perhaps due to this specific location. It is possible that Nixxes 2024 was affected by layoffs, but available industry reporting suggests that Nixxes is on the safe side of acquisitions, as of this writing.
Firesprite (Mountain Horizon Call)
Co-developed Firesprite The mountain horizon calls Has also done some work with Guerrilla Games for PSVR2 Star Citizen. Firesprite was apparently named among the studios affected by the February 2024 layoffs.
What's more, a report from Eurogamer in 2024 suggests that Firesprite will be crunched. The mountain horizon callsSeeing the post-acquisition development, leave of staff and leadership. Sony's XDev support studio was reportedly seized after that, with allegations of a toxic workplace.
Housemark (Returnal, Saros)
Housemark joins Nixxes on the safe side of acquisitions. No reported layoffs have affected the studio, with its latest PS5 exclusive Saros Released in April.
Valkyrie Entertainment (Support)
Valkyrie Entertainment has a long history of development support across the industry, having joined PlayStation Studios as part of Sony's acquisition spree. This joins Housemark and Nixxes, with no reported, widespread layoffs taking place.
Haven Studios (FairGames)
Assassin's Creed Producer Jade Raymond founded Haven Studios in 2021, which was later acquired by PlayStation in 2022. Raymond left Haven Studios in 2025. Haven Studios is working on a live-service game. fairgames, which focuses on looting. While it's still active with no widespread reporting of layoffs, Raymond isn't the only talent to leave the studio — suggesting there may be a talent retention problem.
Bungie (Fate, Marathon)
Best known for Bungie hello and Fate 2Gearing up to release the new Escape Shooter Marathon this March. Since its acquisition, Bungie has gone through at least two waves, reportedly laying off ~100 employees in October 2023 and 220 employees in July 2024.
Neon Koi (Mobile)
Originally called Savage Game Studios, Sony acquired Neon Koi in 2022 for its expansion into the mobile game space. It was closed in October 2024.
firewalk (concord)
Sony acquired Firewalk in April 2023, the studio released the much maligned hero shooter Concorde in August 2024. 2 months later, in October 2024, Firewalk was closed.
