PlayStation Studios Announces New Head of Mobile

PlayStation Studios Announces New Head of Mobile

Key Takeaways

  • Olivier Courtemarche has been named the head of PlayStation Studios‘ mobile department.
  • Courtemarche previously worked for Electronic Arts, Disney, Meta, and Zynga.

As a seasoned gaming enthusiast with a knack for deciphering the moves of industry titans, I can’t help but feel a surge of excitement at the recent shake-up within PlayStation Studios. Olivier Courtemarche, a man with an impressive resume spanning Electronic Arts, Disney, Meta, and Zynga, has stepped into the role of head of PlayStation Studios’ mobile department. His tenure at these gaming giants handling properties like Marvel and Star Wars speaks volumes about his capabilities.


The high-ranking official at Sony’s PlayStation Studios, Olivier Courtemarche, has recently taken on a new role as the leader of their mobile division. Prior to this change, Courtemarche had served as a joint head of PlayStation Studios following the departure of Nicola Sebastiani from his mobile leadership position in June 2023.

Before taking up the position of Senior Director and Head of Mobile Product at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s in-house game development team, Courtemarche had previously worked for companies such as Electronic Arts, Disney, Meta, and Zynga. As a graduate of McGill University, he has overseen significant non-PlayStation properties including Marvel and Star Wars, based on his LinkedIn profile.

In a recent post on the social media platform, Courtemarche announced that he has now become the head of PlayStation Studios’ mobile department. Industry veterans such as Guerrilla Games Technical Art Director Arno Schmitz, Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Game Director Jon-Paul Dumont, and Zynga Senior Vice President Andrew Ice congratulated Courtemarche on his new role. The announcement comes after Sony revealed the closure of two in-house teams, Firewalk Studios and Neon Koi, in late October. The former was behind the failed hero shooter Concord, while the latter, previously known as Savage Game Studios, had been working on an unannounced mobile action title.

Olivier Courtemarche is the New PlayStation Studios Mobile Department Head

According to Hermen Hulst, CEO of SEI and head of PlayStation Studios, the closures are an initiative aimed at bolstering the Sony Business Group. Hulst further pointed out that Sony must concentrate on games that align with PlayStation Studios’ reputation and have the ability to appeal to a broader audience. Noteworthy upcoming exclusive titles for the PlayStation 5, the victor in the current console battle between Sony and Microsoft as indicated by sales data, are “Ghost of Yotei” developed by Sucker Punch Productions and “Marvel’s Wolverine” from Insomniac Games.

2024 saw a number of highly anticipated PlayStation Studios releases, including Team Asobi’s “Astro Bot,” which was a strong contender for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024. This platformer was also nominated in several categories, such as Best Art Direction, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Audio Design, Best Family Game, Best Game Direction, and Best Score and Music. A more recent addition to Sony’s first-party titles is “Lego Horizon Adventures,” a multi-platform action-adventure game developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo, which was released on November 14.

Beyond Courtemarche, another prominent figure from PlayStation Studios has shifted roles within the company. Justin Kobiak, who used to lead licensing and developer partnerships for mobile, recently announced on LinkedIn that he is now heading the Mobile Development and Partnerships department. Kobiak’s diverse work history includes stints at Disney, EA, Konami, Samsung, and numerous other companies.

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2024-11-20 18:34