Industry vet Jade Raymond has stepped away from Haven Studios, the outfit she founded in 2021.
A Haven Studios representative confirmed the departure following the initial Bloomberg report on the leadership change, however both the company’s statement and internal news of the departure reportedly came without context as to why Raymond was moving on.
“Jade Raymond has been an incredible partner and visionary force in founding Haven Studios,” reads that statement provided to Bloomberg. “We are deeply grateful for her leadership and contributions, and we wish her all the best in her next chapter.”
They also noted the studio will “continue the journey” under new leadership in co-leads Marie-Eve Danis and Pierre-François Sapinski.
Though the official statement makes no mention of the reason for Raymond’s departure, sources speaking to Bloomberg suggest that early reception of the in-development project may have played a role. Developers close to the matter told the publication that PlayStation leadership did not share a reason for her departure in any internal communications sent to the studio. However those sources tell the publication that the shift comes weeks after Fairgames saw less-than-favorable feedback following an external testing round, raising concerns within some developers within the team.
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Raymond previously worked as a producer and executive producer on early Assassin’s Creed games (and the original Watch Dogs) at Ubisoft before moving on to EA, Google Stadia, and eventually Haven. This isn’t her first high-profile departure from a studio she co-founded, as she moved on from EA Motive in 2018 (after co-founding it in 2015).
Haven Studios and Sony’s live service plans
Fairgames was announced in 2023, and stands as one of the few projects still in development from Sony’s slate of live service projects. While Helldivers II has been a high point for the initiative, other projects have been canceled (like Naughty Dog’s proposed shooter based on The Last of Us series), and some have seen the light of day (like Concord), albeit not for long.
Haven Studios’ first project is pitched as a “fresh, modern take on the heist genre,” where players “join an underground movement to rob the ultra-rich and rebalance the scales.” There’s no official release date for the game.