Cosmic Division rejects AAA scaling to build Helsinki's "forever studio"
Summary
Ex-Housemarque game director Harry Krueger launched Cosmic Division in Helsinki in May 2025
Co-founders: design director Henri Mustonen and COO Mika Laaja, both Housemarque veterans
Seed round closed with undisclosed partners; lean team building a first action game
Founding thesis rejects AAA-scale growth in favor of long-term studio sustainability
"The goal is to build the forever studio, something that endures"
01
"Responsibly ambitious" as the operating principle
Restraint applied to the studio itself, not just its games
Headcount kept lean, runway health prioritized over scaling speed
Early capital framed as foundation-setting, not output-maximizing
"More is not always better; often it's just more"
02
AAA experience read as a cautionary blueprint
Founding model built on observing what breaks at AAA scale, not what succeeds
Krueger links growth beyond a threshold to slower iteration and lost alignment
Compromise on singular vision is identified as the direct path to mediocrity
"Too much scale and ambition inevitably introduce complexity"
03
Subtractive design extended to hiring and partnerships
Distillation starts in concept to avoid late-stage cuts that damage game and team
Same selection logic applied to hires and partners: deliberate over opportunistic
Quality attributed to execution and craftsmanship, not ideation - a direct challenge to "big ideas" indie pitching
"Brainstorming is additive, but great design is often subtractive"
04
First game carries Housemarque DNA with intentional departure
Debut title builds on the team's action heritage: Nex Machina, Returnal, Saros
Krueger signals recognizable DNA alongside deliberate creative surprises
No title, release window, or platform disclosed; studio remains in early development
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COMPILED BY GAMES ATLAS EDITORIAL
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