"We shot for the stars and landed on a hostile, alien planet": We talk to Harry Krueger about his new studio, Cosmic Division, and his time at Housemarque

Despite the similarity in name to one of film history's most diabolical villains, there's nothing scary about Harry Krueger. On the contrary, he's extremely friendly when I meet up with him on a perfectly ordinary Tuesday to talk about Cosmic Division, his new studio, which he announced last month. Things had otherwise been quiet around him since he left Housemarque in late 2023 after nearly 15 years, during which he started as a programmer and quickly rose through the ranks. He went on to direct the arcade masterpiece Nex Machina and Returnal, which broke new ground for the studio with its leap into 3D. He also helped launch Saros, which was released a few months ago to rave reviews.

Now he's back in a new role as founder and CEO of Cosmic Division, which plans to create "gameplay-first" games with emotionally charged stories. At first glance, this sounds like familiar territory for the Finn, just as the name Cosmic Division brings to mind the cosmic horror that so strongly characterises Returnal and Saros. These are also two of my favourite games released in the 2020s, so I was more than curious to learn more about the new studio and its first project.

And, of course, to dig a little into the archives from the Housemarque days.

Gamereactor: When did you decide to start a new studio?

Krueger: "I was just about 15 years at Housemarque. It was a really intense and productive and incredible 15 years, and after that I felt like I needed a bit of a change and also a break. So, I took some time off, reconnected with family and friends, travelled a bit, and considered next steps and explored possibilities. Nothing really spoke to me that much, I felt like I wanted to be in a place where I could make the type of game that I wanted to play, and I think that's when I started feeling that now I was ready for a new type of challenge. I think that's when the idea of founding Cosmic Division was born. I was fortunate enough to have so much support and inspiration from friends and colleagues that helped support me in that first step. And then we just made the decision. The studio was incorporated just over a year ago. As you know, it's been an interesting time in the industry, so it has been a rollercoaster, but I've been wanting to build on a solid foundation and this is not a sprint, this is a marathon and a long term endeavor for me."

Gamereactor: What's the story behind the name Cosmic Division?

Krueger: "So, it's probably no surprise that I'm a fan of cosmic horror and cosmic themes in general, and I was thinking about our studio as being this division or sector that explores the otherworldly. It's where all the cool, cosmic wonder is being explored and produced. It's also why the logo has the trademark tentacle and star. Our mission is to try to imbue our games with as much cosmic wonder as possible. It's our tagline as well: Embrace the beyond!"

Gamereactor: Are there any old friends from Housemarque who are part of the studio?

Krueger: "Well, I can mention that Henri Mustonen (lead game designer from Returnal) is our design director and one of our co-founders. He's been my trusted, strong right arm on the design front from the very beginning and also a dear, old friend."

Gamereactor: In the press release, you mention that your upcoming project builds on the foundation laid by Housemarque while also exploring new directions. Can you tell us a little about how that will manifest itself?

Krueger: "We don't have much to announce quite yet, it's still fairly early in development but we do have a really clear idea of what we want to create, and we are taking deliberate steps to materialise that singular vision. I don't think the apple is going to fall too far from the tree and I don't think it needs to. I firmly believe in the idea of building on our strengths, unapologetically so. But we're also exploring some fresh themes, fresh ideas just to make sure we're establishing our own unique voice with Cosmic Division. I think fans of our previous games will definitely recognise a lot of the trademark DNA: The gameplay first, depth without complexity, easy to pick up, hard to master. All of those fundamental, timeless gameplay values. But I think they might also be pleasantly surprised with a couple of the new things we're working on."

Gamereactor: You also mention a "lean and mean" approach to development in the press release. How many people do you plan to have working on Cosmic Division?

Krueger: "For me, lean and mean is not just a tagline, it is a central ethos of the studio and a mission statement. For now, I want to keep the studio as small as possible for as long as possible. You know, more is not always better, usually it's just more and I want to really avoid the over hiring and overfiring we're seeing right now. So, I want to build a team that is really focused, performance efficient and punches above its weight to create games that are more than the sum of their parts in many ways. In terms of raw numbers, I'd say that even with unlimited money I would not want to make a studio bigger than 50 people. I don't feel that it's necessary to have teams bigger than that to create the types of evocative single-player experiences that we want to create. And for our first game, we might be able to get away with considerably less than that."

Gamereactor: What is the scope compared to, for example, Returnal?

Krueger: "It's difficult to compare, but in terms of quality, Returnal has been a really strong reference for us. In terms of quality of the experience and the marriage of gameplay first sensibilities with a haunting narrative. We're hoping to accomplish that with a fairly efficient lean and mean studio."

Gamereactor: So we're mostly dealing with a game that leans toward "the new Housemarque," post-"arcade is dead," rather than the era before?

Krueger: "Umm, yeah, perhaps... I think that would be a fair assessment. I think it is onward and upwards for us. We are of course incredibly proud of what we accomplished with Returnal, because I do think that it stays true to a lot of those timeless arcade values that Nex Machina and previous games represented but it also adds an entirely new dimension with a richer, more evocative narrative and feels like a more compelling experience overall, I would say. So, that's been our strongest reference but of course all of the projects I worked on I've been incredibly proud of as well."

Gamereactor: Let's go back in time a bit and talk about Housemarque's transition from arcade to "the new Housemarque." There was a blog post by Illari Kuittinen titled "Arcade Is Dead," which was quite bombastic. What was it like to go from developing pure arcade games to games that still have an arcade sensibility but also appeal to a broader audience?

Krueger: "That's a good question. And speaking purely from my personal perspective... of course, there was the "arcade is dead" article, that you mentioned, which, of course, needs a little more context. I think it reflected the reality, as you said, of shipping a highly acclaimed game. Nex Machina was another award-winning title for Housemarque, but still that did not translate to sales. So, it did raise the question of making small games with medium size budgets and how sustainable that is. That was my interpretation. As an arcade fanatic and creator, I saw it as "the king is dead, long live the king". You cannot kill something that is timeless, it might just take another form. And from my personal perspective that was how I saw the transition to something bolder, bigger, and more ambitious. It was keeping our feet firmly on the rock-solid foundation we had established while allowing ourselves to dream a little bigger. "

Gamereactor: Of all the games you worked on at Housemarque, which is your favourite?

Krueger: "I mean, it's kind of like asking me to pick my favourite child (laughs). Honestly, I feel like I was so incredibly lucky at Housemarque, I feel like I won the lottery five times in a row because every single project was a dream project for me, without exaggeration. Each one of them marked a different chapter in my career and is special for different reasons. Even Outland, the first game that I worked on, that was the game that planted the seed for the bullet hell sensibilities and the aesthetic that ended up being a defining part of the studio's identity. Nex Machina, of course, was a very special project for me. That was the first game I was in the director's chair for and had creative ownership over from start to finish. Incredibly proud of what we pulled off with that game as well. It's an incredible experience from start to finish and I even got to compose a music track for the final boss of the game. But it's difficult to not highlight Returnal as the pinnacle of a lot of those creative endeavors. Because that was really... we shot for the stars and landed on a hostile, alien planet. I learned so much, I got to work alongside so many incredibly talented people and we got to create something we'll be proud of for the rest of our lives. If a had to pick one, Returnal would probably be the most defining of my career and also the game that has set the most recent foundation in the next chapter with Cosmic Division."