Longtime industry veteran Jade Raymond is directing a new studio that will create original PlayStation games. Raymond announced the news today via the PlayStation Blog. “We want to create worlds where players can escape, have fun, express themselves and find the community,” wrote Raymond of the new Haven studio. “We want to put our passion into a project. We want to do something wonderful for people to experience. “
Raymond is one of the most prolific developers in the gaming industry; his career spanned leadership positions at companies like Electronic Arts and Ubisoft. Most recently, she led Google’s first game studio, Stadia Games and Entertainment. Earlier this year, however, Google closed its internal developer. Although many other developers have moved on to new roles, Raymond has left the company altogether.
“It was a strange and difficult 12 months,” wrote Raymond. “The pandemic, social injustice and the elimination of employment have affected many of my closest friends, family and co-workers. All of these factors, combined with the inability to see friends and family face to face, packed me into a kind of self-reflective cocoon, where I had to ask myself some tough questions about what really matters. “