Jade Raymond forms ‘Haven’ studio after leaving Stadia, working on new PlayStation IP

Ben Schoon | Mar 16 2021 - 9:22 am PT

In early February, Google announced the closure of its in-house Stadia Games and Entertainment studios as well as the exit of industry veteran Jade Raymond. Now, Raymond has announced her next venture — the “Haven” studio that’s working on games for PlayStation.

Raymond was a part of Google’s original push for first-party games for its Stadia platform as the head of Stadia Games and Entertainment (SG&E). According to some reports, that studio had games in development including a multiplayer action title, a sequel to Journey to the Savage Planet, and more, but none of those titles saw the light of day. Raymond previously said it was a “difficult decision” to leave SG&E.

Now, we know what the “new opportunity” she mentioned is.

In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Jade Raymond confirms that her next project is “Haven,” an independent game studio. She explains that the decision came from the “simple conclusion” that she needed to get back to doing what she loves doing most with creative freedom.

And so today I’m announcing Haven, an independent studio where many of the talented game developers I have worked with for years (and love dearly!) are coming together to do what we are most passionate about. It’s time for us to refocus on GAMES in a place where we can practice our crafts without any barriers or impediments. We want to create worlds where players can escape, have fun, express themselves, and find community. We want to pour our passion into a project. We want to make something wondrous for people to experience. Because we believe in the power of games to bring joy to people’s lives. And Sony does, too. Their commitment to excellence is unmatched. It’s why I couldn’t be happier for their backing and support.
Together, we want to create games that are a haven for players, and we want to build a studio that is a haven for developers. So, while we don’t have many details to announce today, I want the PlayStation community to know that Haven Studios is already hard at work on an unannounced IP. We can’t wait to show you more!

Right now, it’s unclear what “Haven” has in store, but the unannounced IP is apparently coming to PlayStation, and it seems as though it will be an exclusive, given the prominent announcement.

Before working on SG&E, Raymond worked at Ubisoft with titles including Assassin’s Creed, Bloodlines, and Watch Dogs on her resume. Like the Stadia studio she managed, Haven will be based in Montreal, Canada.