Bellevue, WA – April 22, 2021 – ProbablyMonsters™ Inc., a new category of game company that builds sustainable game studios through a people-first culture, proudly announces that Firewalk Studios™, a AAA studio focused on delivering world-class multiplayer experiences, has entered into an agreement with Sony Interactive Entertainment as the exclusive publishing partner for its inaugural multiplayer game. This publishing partnership is the first to be announced for a member of the ProbablyMonsters family of studios.
Founded in 2018, Firewalk Studios is led by Tony Hsu (Studio Head, previously GM and SVP of Destiny at Activision), Ryan Ellis (Game Director, previously Creative Director at Bungie) and Elena Siegman (Executive Producer, previously at Harmonix, Irrational Games, and Bungie). The team includes a deep roster of highly talented developers who have helped deliver top-selling, culturally impactful titles, including the Destiny franchise, where all three leads worked successfully together on both development and publishing, as well as Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Mass Effect, and Halo. This collected expertise allows this team to focus on delivering a rich multiplayer game experience rooted in great core gameplay and inspired art. Firewalk continues to recruit top talent for its team, which is built on collaboration, inclusion, and respect.
ProbablyMonsters CEO and founder Harold Ryan continues his vision for building and sustaining a family of AAA game studios and original IP through a people-first culture. The company’s inclusive approach has attracted senior-level talent who have collectively worked on dozens of blockbuster franchises from over 60 major companies. Its unique development model empowers its studios to concentrate on game creation while the company’s business team focuses on leadership mentoring, funding, publishing negotiations, staffing, administration, and technology for every studio. ProbablyMonsters builds game studios so they can focus on their team, culture, and games while enjoying stable careers, and thriving as game developers. Firewalk Studios exemplifies how the groundbreaking model ProbablyMonsters has built is succeeding: studios enjoy the creative and financial freedom to transform their imagination into exceptional player experiences.
“I am proud of the sustainable model we have created for our AAA studios to grow and flourish,” said Harold Ryan, CEO and founder of ProbablyMonsters. “Firewalk Studios’ strategic partnership with PlayStation is a great match for the studio’s world-class pedigree and creative vision.”
“Our goal at Firewalk Studios is to create awesome shared experiences through multiplayer games,” said Tony Hsu, Studio Head at Firewalk Studios. “This goal is supported both by the world-class operations team at ProbablyMonsters and by a team at SIE who love games and are huge supporters of our project and studio.”
ProbablyMonsters has announced and fostered the growth of three game studios in different genres, including Firewalk Studios, Cauldron Studios, developing a narrative-driven AAA game, and a next gen co-op RPG studio. More details on ProbablyMonsters and its family of studios will be shared in the coming months. To learn more about Firewalk Studios, visit firewalkstudios.com.
Follow ProbablyMonsters on Twitter at @prblyMONSTERS and connect on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/probablymonsters.
About ProbablyMonsters Inc.
ProbablyMonsters, a new category of game company, was founded in 2016 by former Bungie President and CEO, Harold Ryan. ProbablyMonsters is building a family of sustainable game studios that create and launch original AAA games through a people-first culture. Located in Bellevue, Washington, the company has a strong cast of experienced, innovative game development leaders with a record of launching blockbuster projects. ProbablyMonsters’ mission is to unite, guide, and empower talented game developers to create exceptional interactive experiences. The company has built and fostered the growth of three studios, each with a unique player focus. Firewalk Studios is making an original AAA multiplayer game that will be exclusively published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Cauldron Studios is making an original AAA narrative game, and the third studio is working on a next-gen co-op RPG project. ProbablyMonsters has over 200 employees and continues to grow sustainably. For more information, visit probablymonsters.com.
About Firewalk Studios
Firewalk Studios’ purpose and ambition is to deliver epic gaming entertainment – rooted in great core gameplay and inspiring art – that captures the excitement of playing games together. Formed in 2018 as part of the ProbablyMonsters family of studios, Firewalk Studios is led by a team of seasoned developers who know and love multiplayer games. Their experienced leadership team has launched some of the biggest entertainment properties across games and film that have garnered millions of dedicated fans. Such titles include Call of Duty, Destiny, Apex Legends, Mass Effect, Overwatch, The Avengers movie franchise, Pacific Rim, Inside Out, Up, and Cars 2. Firewalk Studios is building a world-class next-generation game studio where people come first. The studio is building a more sustainable approach to game development: where setting a high quality bar and treating one another with trust and respect go hand-in-hand. For more information, visit firewalkstudios.com.
About Sony Interactive Entertainment
Recognized as a global leader in interactive and digital entertainment, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) is responsible for the PlayStation® brand and family of products and services. SIE has delivered innovation to the market since the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994. The PlayStation family of products and services include PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®VR, PlayStation™Store, PlayStation®Plus, PlayStation™Video, PlayStation™Music, PlayStation™Now, and acclaimed PlayStation software titles from PlayStation Studios. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, SIE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation and has global functions in California, London and Tokyo.
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