Sony has announced Haven Entertainment Studios, a new independent studio founded by industry veteran Jade Raymond, who had previously lead Google Stadia's in-house developers until it was recently shuttered.
Raymond formally introduced Haven Entertainment on the PlayStation Blog, where she revealed that Haven will be a passion project staffed by "talented game developers" that she has worked with "for years."
"It’s time for us to refocus on GAMES in a place where we can practice our crafts without any barriers or impediments," Raymond wrote. "We want to create worlds where players can escape, have fun, express themselves, and find community. We want to pour our passion into a project. We want to make something wondrous for people to experience. Because we believe in the power of games to bring joy to people’s lives. And Sony does, too. Their commitment to excellence is unmatched. It’s why I couldn’t be happier for their backing and support."
In addition to the announcement of the studio itself, Raymond also revealed that Haven Studios (as it will be informally called) is already working on a new unannounced PlayStation IP.
While details weren't shared on exactly what this new IP is, we expect that it could be a PS5 exclusive.
Who is Jade Raymond?
Haven Studios is founded by Jade Raymond, who is the new studio's CEO after a long career helming other projects and studios. With over 25 years of experience in the gaming industry, Raymond was a key player in the creation of both the Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed franchises, founding both Ubisoft Toronto and EA Motive Studios.
In addition, Raymond has worked on the likes of The Sims Online and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist.
Until recently, she was a vice president at Google, heading up Google Stadia Games and Entertainment, playing an integral role in the in-house development of games for Stadia. However, Stadia Games and Entertainment shut down last month and parted ways with Raymond.
But Google's loss is Sony's gain and we can't wait to see what this industry veteran has in store for Haven Studios, especially with the power of PS5 to play with.
