Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder and managing director of Finnish studio Housemarque, has left the company, becoming the latest senior figure to depart a PlayStation-owned studio in recent months. His exit follows those of Insomniac Games co-founder Ted Price in January 2025 and Sucker Punch co-founder Brian Fleming in December 2025, raising questions about stability among Sony's first-party developers, particularly as PlayStation 5 hardware sales have slowed and Sony looks to boost spending among existing players.

Kuittinen announced his departure on X, saying the transition had been planned for some time, with Sami "Haxu" Hakala having already taken over as managing director on 1 July. He is stepping back after 33 years in the games industry and 31 at Housemarque, a studio known for arcade-style titles such as Super Stardust HD and Resogun before it moved into AAA development with 2021's acclaimed Returnal and this year's Saros, which reportedly sold a modest 300,000 units at launch. Sony acquired Housemarque shortly after Returnal's release, and while it is unclear whether Saros's sales performance played any role in Kuittinen's exit, the studio has downplayed concerns by noting Returnal also started slowly.