Housemarque and the Finnish game industry: 30 years and counting – Saros

Finnish studio Housemarque celebrated its 30th anniversary in May 2025. This is an important milestone not only for the studio itself, but also for the country’s game industry, as Housemarque still holds the title of Finland’s oldest game studio. Given the country’s size, Finland has produced an exceptional number of prominent developers: Supercell, Remedy, Colossal Order and the birthday boy Housemarque, just to name a few of the most well-known.

This phenomenon has deep roots, especially in the demo scene of the 1990s, which attracted a large group of tech-savvy individuals eager to show off their skills. The demo scene is about competition and demonstrating skills, with developers having to create the most impressive technical demos within strict constraints. These constraints often push the limits of technology: how can you create a stunning video with only a few kilobytes of memory?

Tough constraints forge strong talent, and it is no coincidence that many competitive young tech enthusiasts eventually found their way into game studios. The demo scene remains an active part of the Finnish hacker community to this day. Nokia’s success in the 2010s also played a big role: although its impact on the gaming industry was limited, investment in R&D spilled over into outside the company – and when Nokia faltered, many professionals switched to mobile gaming.

Housemarque’s roots are also deep in the demo scene, starting with the Bloodsuckers demo group, which later formed the Bloodhouse studio. Eventually, the studio merged with Terramarque, resulting in the portmanteau name Housemarque.

Growth has occurred in stages over the decades. In the late 1990s, the studio became known for its snowboarding games, such as the well-received Supreme Snowboarding. Brand director Mikael Haveri describes the progression: “We went beyond the snowboarding era and then beyond the arcade era. Although in a way we are still making arcade games!”

Indeed, well into the 2010s, Housemarque was mostly known for arcade games. Super Stardust, Resogun and Nex Machina are action-packed titles that defined the studio for years. “If bullets are spinning in your eyes, it’s a Housemarque game.” jokes the studio’s creative director Gregory Louden.

And the bullets are still flying: the award-winning Returnal, released in 2021, drew influence from many directions, but mostly from the studio’s arcade legacy. This narrative, bullet-hell-style third-person roguelike shooter is unmistakably a Housemarque title.

Over the decades, the studio has scaled to a new level. The most recent major change came in 2021 when Sony acquired the studio, making it likely that Housemarque would permanently develop larger releases at AAA scale. This was not entirely unexpected, as the studio had long worked closely with Sony for its consoles. Housemarque seems to be the only studio with launch titles for four different Sony’s platforms. The projects also have other historical features: Super Stardust HD, released for the PlayStation 3, is considered the first game with collectible Trophies.

But could something smaller fit into the development pipeline? CEO Ilari Kuittinen dismisses the idea: “We don’t want to go back to making smaller games, and we don’t have multiple creative directors to run side projects.”

Housemarque is also not known for making sequels – there are no numbered entries in their release list. But could there be something in development that could be interpreted as a sequel to an earlier game? “At any rate, it wouldn’t be Golf: Tee It Up! 2,” he said. Haveri jokes.

Joining the Sony Group brought many changes. The organization scaled to a new level. While about 80 people worked on Returnal, the upcoming Saros – in development for release in 2026 – has a team of 120, requiring changes in both processes and physical facilities.

We were given a tour of some of the newly opened spaces, including a playtest room and a cinema built in the basement. “These spaces are specifically designed for collaboration. We have many meeting spaces, meeting rooms, even the café is designed to encourage ‘collision moments.'” Haveri explains.

On a larger team, workflows should support collaboration: “Things need to be synchronized. Work is organized into two-week sprints and necessary information must flow through different forums.” continued Haveri.

Greater enterprise support allows for more ambitious projects, but also brings its own requirements, such as more stringent security protocols and HR processes. One advantage is certain: it is no longer necessary to constantly sell projects. “We pitch once every few years, internally. We used to be out at trade shows several times a year selling our games.” Haveri looks back on the change.

Now the focus is entirely on developing the new game, Saros, due out in 2026. The company can’t share much else yet. One can only draw one’s own conclusions from the announcement trailer. At least the character’s eyes sparkle with bullet hell-like orbs, which clearly allude to Returnal -like combat.

But will Saros and future titles be as punishingly difficult as Returnal ? “Saros ‘ tagline ‘Come Back Stronger’ is perhaps one of the things that refers to a certain kind of power fantasy. Selene was a character without resources in a very difficult environment. It was also a very difficult match because Selene’s experience was difficult. I think that’s something we think about”, muses Haveri.

Competition in the market is cutthroat. How does Housemarque differentiate itself from other developers? “A certain kind of mystery, a unique, open-for-interpretation storytelling experience has come together with Returnal as something new,” says Housemarque. Says Haveri.

Indeed, Returnal can be completed as a pure action shooter, with Selene landing on a planet and shooting her way to the end. But players can also dive deep into the world’s story and uncover deeper layers of lore – extensively analyzed on fan forums.

“On the other hand, technical expertise and visual effects are rewarding when done well,” Kuittinen adds. That kind of expertise is part of the long legacy inherited from the studio’s demoscene roots.

Housemarque has come a long way since the 1990s, and the path has not always been straight. There have been difficult times and cash flow shortages. “We haven’t been profitable every year, but at least we’ve been facilitating people to do cool sh#t for 30 years,” he said. Kuittinen jokes.