PlayStation Announces New IP Being Developed at Studio Founded by Jade Raymond

Google announced last month that it would be shuttering its first-party studios division, which was helmed by video game industry veteran Jade Raymond. The move came as somewhat of a shock given that Stadia Games & Entertainment had so many prolific names attached to it, but with Stadia as a whole not driving much interest, Google seemingly felt the need to pull the plug in regards to developing its own internal games. Now, a little over a month later, and we have learned where Jade Raymond herself is now heading.

Detailed on the PlayStation Blog, Raymond announced that she has established a new studio in Montreal, Canada that is called Haven Entertainment Studios. While the company is still getting off the ground initially, its first project will specifically be developed for PlayStation. Even though details are sparse, this new game is said to be a wholly new IP that will potentially be exclusive to Sony’s platform.

This partnership between Raymond and PlayStation sounds quite similar to the one that came about between Kojima Productions and the video game publisher back when Hideo Kojima left Konami back in 2015. That collaboration later resulted in the release of Death Stranding, which arrived a few years later in 2019. Given how early things still are at Haven, it’s nearly impossible to know right now when this studio’s first game might arrive.

Raymond also noted that Haven as a company will be comprised of many developers that she has already worked with in the past. As such, there’s a fair chance that many who previously worked at Stadia (or even Electronic Arts or Ubisoft) will be joining her on this venture.

Speaking more to what Raymond hopes for this new game, she seems to have high expectations. “We want to create worlds where players can escape, have fun, express themselves, and find community,” she said. “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.”

So what do you think about this new partnership for PlayStation? And what type of game would you like to see Haven create? Let me know your thoughts either down in the comments or over on Twitter at @MooreMan12.