In a listing for Junior Level Designer, it noted that the level design team was a “small collaborative” one that was “working on big projects.” Knowledge of Unreal Engine 4, including blueprint scripting, was listed in the requirements. The developer also noted that having experience working on first person shooters would be a “bonus” and being interested in horror and FPS titles would be nice.

So while one’s thoughts may immediately have drifted towards Silent Hill (which has been rumored forever), it’s clear that Fabrik is working on something else entirely. It may be a while before it’s properly revealed so stay tuned for more details in the coming months. In other PlayStation Studios-related news, Bluepoint Games has also been acquired by the publisher and is working on a new original title instead of another remake.

Speaking on the recent Xbox Era podcast, Xbox Era co-founder Nick Baker – who has a decent track record with accurate leaks, including Sony-related ones – said that Firesprite is working on a Horizon game for the upcoming next-gen PSVR headset. Baker says it won’t be a VR version of Horizon Zero Dawn or Horizon Forbidden West, but rather a separate game set in the series.

One thing that Baker isn’t quite sure of is if it will be a full game or more of a VR experience. “I didn’t get told if it’s a full-blown game like Half-Life: Alyx, or if it’s an ‘experience’ like that Batman [Arkham] thing. That part I don’t know,” he said.

Upon Firesprite’s acquisition, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst recently said that the studio’s games would be more unique and experimental than the sort of output that is generally associated with Sony first party studios. Firesprite does have plenty of experience with VR, having developed the likes of The Playroom and The Persistence– though Hulst has also said that doesn’t necessarily mean they will only be working on VR games, so there’s that.

Either way, we’ll keep an eye out for new details, so stay tuned for more updates. Until then, as with any other unverified leak, take this with a grain of salt.

Not exactly, it would seem. Speaking to GamesIndustry, when asked about Firesprite’s experience with VR and whether that will see them prioritizing VR development, PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst said that that won’t necessarily be the case.

“Not necessarily,” he said. “Clearly the expertise that Firesprite has gained on their work with The Persistence and The Playroom is something that they bring to the table. It’s too early to talk about what specific platforms or experiences that we’re going to collaborate on with Firesprite. But that experience is very valuable.”

Firesprite managing director Graeme Ankers added that the studio’s first priority will be to innovate regardless of what they’re developing, and that whether or not a game should be VR-compatible would be decided based on what’s right for the game.

“The philosophy that we have is to really innovate and create on any platform,” Ankers said. “Whether that’s VR or non-VR. VR is amazing. It really changes the paradigm of design and immerses you in those worlds. It doesn’t really matter for us what the hardware is, we’ll maximise and create and innovate for that particular hardware.

“We’ve got experience on a lot of VR projects and on a lot of non-VR projects throughout our history. It’s about being brave and creating those experiences that really showcase what any platform feature can deliver, and the best experience for the game, of course.”

Interestingly enough, leaks have claimed that a new WipEout game is in development for PS5 and will be fully playable with the next-gen PSVR headset. Firesprite is, of course, comprised of various WipEout creator Studio Liverpool developers and leads. Whether or not anything comes of that remains to be seen.

Apparently, it will be. Speaking with GamesIndustry, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst acknowledged that Firesprite as a studio likes to tinker and experiment with things to craft unique experience, and said that the developer will continue doing things in that vein and provide experiences that are different from the sort of games PlayStation Studios teams usually make.

“I do encourage a strong and diverse slate of games coming out of PlayStation Studios,” Hulst said. “Ideally [the games] are aligned with the culture and what the teams are good at. It is definitely true that Firesprite is a team that loves to tinker with a platform. They love to experiment, to take something and toy with it.

“In a sense that is maybe a little similar with Team Asobi, not to suggest that they’re going to make similar games, but in their own way. They are a flexible team, in that you can give them any platform and they love that challenge.

“PlayStation Studios teams are culturally very diverse from one another. There is overlap, there is always that commitment to quality, there is always that collaboration… but the experiences that you can expect [from Firesprite] will be quite different from the teams that you are familiar with at PlayStation Studios. And I like that. I think that our audiences, our community, deserves very rich and very different experiences. At the end of the day, that’s what makes us stronger.”

Meanwhile, Firesprite managing director Graeme Ankers said that the studio isn’t ready to talk about what it’s working on just yet, but did say that their upcoming games will have “beautiful, amazing universes that players are going to enjoy for years to come.”

“I’d love to be able to talk about [our games] at some point soon,” Ankers said. “They will be beautiful, amazing universes that players are going to enjoy for years to come, but we can’t talk specifically about what those are or what genre they are in.

“Everything that we do looks at a different facet, whether that’s an innovation that will hopefully change a genre up, and hopefully you can see that in our previous releases. We will always have that philosophy and carry that desire to bring something new to genre, and maximise whatever the experience is… whether that’s on a technology platform or not. It’s about creating the best experience possible.”

Of course, very little is known about Firesprite’s current projects right now. One is a supposedly a multiplayer shooter described as “game-changing” experience, while the other is “an ambitious dark narrative blockbuster adventure.” Of course, recent reports have also claimed that a new WipEout game is in the works, which is relevant given that Firesprite has a lot of developers and leads from the former Studio Liverpool, the creators of WipEout.

“Firesprite is a creative and ambitious studio that is exceptional at building incredible experiences that truly showcase the potential of our hardware,” writes Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios. “The team’s technical and creative capabilities will be paramount to growing our stellar catalogue of exclusive games, and I think you’ll be excited for what’s to come.”

“As a first party studio, we know we have the full support of PlayStation in furthering our heritage of combining creativity and technical innovation to offer some truly unique experiences for PlayStation fans,” writes Graeme Ankers, managing director of Firesprite.

Most notably, Firesprite – a studio comprised of over 250 employees – is staffed and led by several alumni of the former Sony first party team Studio Liverpool, the creator of the WipEout series. Why is that notable? Because, interestingly enough, recent leaks have claimed that a new WipEout game is currently in development for PS5 and the next PSVR. Whether or not that and Firesprite’s acquisition are related remains to be seen.

Firesprite Studios is PlayStation’s third acquisition this year, following Returnal developer Housemarque and PC port specialist Nixxes Software. Earlier this year, PlayStation Japan itself seemingly leaked an acquisition of Bluepoint Games, but that hasn’t yet been officially announced.