Sony’s PS5 reveal event saw the announcement of many new potential IPs. One of the most interesting and visually impressive was Kena: Bridge of Spirits from Ember Lab – the debut title from the animation studio. Kena has officially been confirmed as a success, with Ember Lab now becoming a full-time game development studio.
In an interview by Bloomberg/Jason Schreier, brothers Mike and Josh Grier of Ember Lab were asked about the success of their first title, which launched back in September.
According to the Griers, the game has already recouped its development costs within the first month, cementing it as a success. Furthermore, Sony also appears to be happy with the sales performance of the console exclusive, with Josh Grier saying “It's hard to tell what's a huge success. Sony's happy.”
As mentioned, prior to Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Ember Lab was purely an animation studio, with some of their biggest work being YouTube shorts. It is therefore impressive to see them knock it out of the park on their first attempt. The success of Kena has meant that Ember Lab is now going full-time on game development, with Josh Grier confirming that “We're not going back to commercials.”
While very little is known about the team’s next project, they did confirm that it will be a narrative-focused affair, similar to Kena. Considering the fact that Kena: Bridge of Spirits was the studio’s first game, its success and quality is impressive. It will be interesting to see what the team can now do with that success under their belt.
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KitGuru says: What do you think of Kena? Did you buy it? What do you want to see next from Ember Lab? Let us know down below.