Housemarque Co-Founder Ilari Kuittinen Announces Exit from Saros Developer After 31 Years

Michael Cripe·Aug 31, 2026·Source

Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen has announced his exit from the PlayStation studio after 31 years.

The Saros developer shared the news with its followers with Kuittinen's final message, confirming today as his last with the team. It's a lengthy letter to fans that saw the studio head wave goodbye after overseeing the launch of arcade-y classics like Saros, Returnal, Resogun, and more.

"After 33 years in the games industry and 31 incredible years at Housemarque—the studio I co-founded with Harri Tikkanen—today marks my last day at the company," he said. "Starting out in 1993 with Terramarque, and then joining forces with Harri to establish Housemarque in 1995, we had a passion for games but no real blueprint for building a business. Looking back, I feel immensely fortunate. We had the luck of being in the right place at the right time during three decades of incredible industry growth, allowing us to stay fiercely independent for 26 years before finding a home within the PlayStation Studios family."

"My core purpose as a leader has always been simple: to facilitate an environment where extraordinary creators have the freedom and protection to do what they do best."

Housemarque has evolved in unique ways through the years. Though its commitment to gameplay has remained through the decades, it branched beyond simple shoot-em-ups throughout the lifecycles of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.

PlayStation fans will remember when Resogun helped the PS4 launch in 2013. Twin-stick shooters like Alienation and Nex Machina would then arrive in 2016 and 2017, respectively, but Housemarque then went on to truly push the boundaries of its capabilities with its more story-driven roguelike, Returnal, for PS5 in April 2021.

Sony officially cemented the company as a PlayStation Studio later that same year, and in April of this year, it released its follow-up, Saros. Kuittinen was there for it all.

In his letter, he pointed to Housemarque's evolution into a AAA developer, its games, and its status as a pioneering Finnish game studio as three particularly noteworthy achievements he and the team have managed to accomplish. He also clarified that this isn't a sudden change; studio veteran Sami 'Haxu' Hakala took over as managing director July 1, 2026. It's something Kuittinen said he, Hakala, and the rest of the team have been carefully planning behind-the-scenes.

"Housemarque’s strategy and creative vision are in exceptional hands," he added. "As for me? After 33 continuous years without a major break, I am taking a rare and well-deserved breather trying to find out how good I am at doing nothing! To Harri, our partners at SIE, our global industry friends, and every single team member who has ever walked through Housemarque’s doors: thank you for making the past 31 years the privilege of a lifetime."

A final message from our co-founder, Ilari Kuittinen pic.twitter.com/ubf0yZJBWq— Housemarque (@Housemarque) August 31, 2026
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A final message from our co-founder, Ilari Kuittinen pic.twitter.com/ubf0yZJBWq

IGN gave Saros a 7/10 review upon its launch earlier this year. We said, at the time, that it "tries at an interesting and ambitious story it isn't always able to effectively tell, but Housemarque has once again proved that its bullet-hell sensibilities mesh incredibly well with fluid and challenging action."