{"id":27012,"date":"2026-09-01T05:34:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T03:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/01\/housemarque-co-founder-ilari-kuittinen-exits-from-studio\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T05:35:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T03:35:17","slug":"housemarque-co-founder-ilari-kuittinen-steps-down-after-decades-at-the-helm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/01\/housemarque-co-founder-ilari-kuittinen-steps-down-after-decades-at-the-helm\/","title":{"rendered":"Housemarque Co-Founder Ilari Kuittinen Steps Down After Decades at the Helm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Image via Housemarque\/PlayStation<\/em><\/p>\n

A New Chapter: Ilari Kuittinen Steps Down from Housemarque<\/h2>\n

After an illustrious three-decade career in the gaming industry, Ilari Kuittinen, the co-founder and CEO of the Sony-acquired studio Housemarque, has officially announced his retirement. This departure marks the end of an era for one of Finland\u2019s most iconic development houses.<\/p>\n

Ensuring a Seamless Leadership Transition<\/h3>\n

Kuittinen shared the news via a LinkedIn update, emphasizing that his exit was not a sudden decision but the culmination of a carefully orchestrated succession plan. To maintain the studio’s momentum, the company has spent the last several months transitioning responsibilities to Sami “Haxu” Hakala, who has stepped into the role of managing director. Kuittinen noted that he has been working closely with Hakala and the broader executive team to guarantee that the studio\u2019s operational standards and creative output remain unaffected during this shift.<\/p>\n

“The future of Housemarque\u2019s strategic direction and creative identity is secure,” Kuittinen stated, expressing full confidence in the team\u2019s ability to carry the torch forward.<\/p>\n

A Legacy Built on Longevity<\/h3>\n

In an industry often defined by rapid turnover and short-lived ventures, Kuittinen\u2019s 31-year tenure is a remarkable anomaly. His journey began in 1995 when he and co-founder Harri Tikkanen merged their respective firms, Bloodhouse and Terramarque, to form Housemarque. Today, the studio holds the prestigious title of being the longest-running active game development company in Finland, a testament to the foundation Kuittinen helped build.<\/p>\n

Related: Indie devs and publishers hit in Gamescom equipment thefts<\/a><\/div>\n

From Humble Beginnings to PlayStation Powerhouse<\/h3>\n

Throughout his leadership, Kuittinen was instrumental in forging high-profile partnerships that elevated the studio\u2019s global profile. By cultivating relationships with industry giants such as Ubisoft and Take-Two Interactive, he positioned Housemarque as a premier developer. However, the most pivotal alliance proved to be with Sony Computer Entertainment-now Sony Interactive Entertainment. This partnership blossomed in 2007 with the release of Super Stardust HD<\/em> on the PlayStation 3, a title that set the stage for the studio’s eventual acquisition by Sony and its subsequent success with modern hits like Returnal<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As the gaming landscape continues to evolve, Housemarque remains a cornerstone of Finnish game development, now poised to enter its next phase under new leadership.<\/p>\n

\u00bb More Info >>><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After an incredible 31-year journey at the helm of Housemarque, co-founder and CEO Ilari Kuittinen is officially stepping down. The veteran developer shared the news on LinkedIn, revealing that the studio has been quietly orchestrating this transition for months to ensure a seamless changing of the guard. One major stabilizing move was<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":27013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wpai_generated_summary":"","wpai_meta_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[36],"class_list":["post-27012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-gaming","tag-mixtv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27015,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27012\/revisions\/27015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mixtv1.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}