Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen exits studio

Kuittinen shared the news in a post on LinkedIn, explaining that the company has been preparing for this leadership transition for several months. A key step in stabilizing the studio was the appointment of Sami "Haxu" Hakala as managing director. Since then, Kuittinen stated that he has focused on supporting Hakala and the leadership team to ensure complete operational continuity and stability.

"Housemarque's strategy and creative vision are in exceptional hands," Kuittinen wrote. He described his next step as taking "a rare and well-deserved breather."

The studio was co-founded by Kuittinen and Harri Tikkanen in 1995 after they merged their existing companies, Bloodhouse and Terramarque. Under Kuittinen's leadership, Housemarque established publishing relationships with major industry players, including Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, and Sony Computer Entertainment (now Sony Interactive Entertainment). The partnership with Sony began with the 2007 release of Super Stardust HD on the PlayStation 3 and led to exclusive titles such as Resogun and Matterfall. In 2021, Sony acquired Housemarque, integrating it into PlayStation Studios, where the team has since released Returnal and Saros.

Kuittinen's exit is part of a broader trend of leadership changes at PlayStation Studios over the past few years. Other studio heads and co-founders, including Ted Price, Brian Fleming, and Evan Wells, have also retired after decades of leading their respective companies. In his final message to the team, Kuittinen urged colleagues to "strive to be a better professional, and a better human being," encouraging them to "speak with courage, and keep pushing the boundaries of what games can be."