Housemarque Eyes FromSoftware’s Path for Future of Saros

Housemarque, the developer behind the PlayStation 5 exclusive Saros, is looking to the long-term success of FromSoftware as a blueprint for its own future. Despite some initial challenges in breaking into the mainstream, the studio is committed to refining its signature “bullet ballet” style rather than softening its difficulty to chase a broader audience.

Building a Genre Through Persistence

In a recent interview, Housemarque co-founder Ilari Kuittinen discussed the studio’s ambition to elevate their current output—namely Returnal and Saros—into a widely celebrated subgenre. He explicitly pointed to FromSoftware’s evolution from King’s Field to their current status as a model for how a developer can cultivate a dedicated fanbase over time.

“FromSoftware have been doing a similar genre for a very long time and built up their fan base,” Kuittinen said. “We have two unique games out. Returnal, Saros. It’s kind of a new thing that you need to educate the market about, so that people say, ‘Hey, these flow states are really cool.’”

The studio’s “bullet ballet” formula focuses on precision, requiring players to navigate dense patterns of color-coded projectiles. Kuittinen believes that by sticking to this core identity, the studio can eventually reach a point where these challenging flow states are as understood and appreciated as the modern “Soulslike” games.

Looking Beyond the Launch

Saros arrived on PS5 this past April. While the title did not dominate the sales charts immediately, the team at Housemarque remains optimistic about its longevity. Brand director Mikael Haveri noted that this slow-burn trajectory is familiar territory for the studio, citing Returnal as an example of a game that gained significant traction long after its initial release as the community spent more time with it.

Housemarque has already begun expanding the game, recently adding a new photo mode and additional trophies to increase replayability. According to Kuittinen, these updates are just the beginning of a longer conversation with the player base. “If you have played Saros, you know that there are a lot of things that we can do and tweak and add,” he said. “We hope that we can keep on doing that for a while.”

While the studio is keeping specific details regarding future content updates under wraps, the message to players is clear: Housemarque intends to keep the pressure on, betting that their commitment to difficult, rhythmic gameplay will eventually pay off in the same way it has for other developers who stayed the course.