Former Housemarque developer and the director behind 2021’s Returnal, Harry Krueger, has announced the launch of a brand new Finland-based game development studio, Cosmic Division. The veteran developer, known for his work as a programmer on titles like Resogun and Nex Machina, will head the studio by focusing on a “lean-and-mean” design philosophy that places gameplay first.
While Krueger hasn’t revealed too many details about what the first project by Cosmic Division will be, he has confirmed that it will be a brand new IP that will focus on single-player gameplay and will come to PC and consoles. The title is slated to be “unapologetically gameplay first,” and its story will offer “strong emotional resonance”.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Housemarque for our shared journey, which has shaped the foundations for our new studio,” said the studio’s founder and CEO. “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, but we’re not standing still. At Cosmic Division, we’re building on our strengths while finding a new edge through fresh themes, ideas and talent. We believe there is always room for games built on timeless values that trust the player and leave a lasting impact.”
This emphasis on offering a gameplay-first experience falls in line with many of the projects that Kreuger has worked on in the past. While some of Housemarque’s earlier projects, like Resogun, didn’t quite focus much on narrative, the developer found its groove in mixing up story and strong gameplay with its more recent outings like Returnal and Saros.
Interestingly, while Kreuger had left Housemarque in 2023, he managed to help shape the ultimate direction of this year’s Saros before his departure.
“We’re excited to push further into the experiences we love creating: intoxicating gameplay loops, audiovisual spectacle, and impactful stories that linger with players long after the credits have rolled,” Krueger continued. “We have our feet on the ground and solid foundations beneath us. Now our journey of cosmic wonder begins, as we venture towards the stars… and beyond.”
The last project Krueger shipped during his tenure at Housemarque was Returnal, which blended the studio’s penchant for bullet hell-style gameplay with the structure of a 3D roguelike shooter, as well as a mysterious story that seemingly revolved around protagonist Selene Vassos being stuck in a strange time loop.
Since Kreuger has a strong history of working on projects that focus quite a bit on throwing hundreds of projectiles towards the player that have to be dodged, along with excellent visuals that emphasize particle effects, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Cosmic Division’s first project bearing more than a striking similarity to Returnal.
In the meantime, Housemarque released Saros just last month exclusively on PS5. The title stars Rahul Kohli in the role of protagonist Arjun Devraj, and offers several refinements over the gameplay introduced by Returnal. In our review, we gave Saros a score of 9 out of 10 thanks to its aesthetics, addictive gameplay, world-building, and the design of its boss fights. Our only complaints were the fact that its ending left us wanting more, and that Carcosa Modifiers could have used more depth.
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