In May, former Housemarque game director Harry Krueger launched Cosmic Division, a new indie studio based in downtown Helsinki. Krueger was previously game director at Housemarque, where he worked on titles including Nex Machina, Returnal, and Saros.

Co-founded by design director Henri Mustonen, who spent over a decade at Housemarque, and COO Mika Laaja, Cosmic Division is focused on sustainability and staying grounded.

"The goal isn't to build something that burns brightly for a few years and disappears. The goal is to build the forever studio, something that endures," Krueger tells GamesIndustry.biz.

"This is my third job in the games industry, and ideally I'd like it to be my last. We want to build on our strengths, pick our battles carefully, find the right people and partners, and ride this whole thing into the sunset."

Defining a sustainable vision

Krueger says Cosmic Division was founded on the principles of steady growth, restraint, and adaptability.

"Our goal with Cosmic Division is to be 'responsibly ambitious.' Sustainability starts with thinking long-term. We want to avoid aggressive growth and take a measured approach to building strong foundations that support both the studio and the games we create for years to come."

Cosmic Division's Harry Krueger | Image credit: Sam Jamsen

He continues: "Practically speaking, that means prioritising talent over process, managing project scope responsibly, maintaining a healthy runway, and being deliberate about the people and partners we bring on board. Good design is ultimately about setting constraints, and I believe the same is true for running a studio, especially in its early stages of growth. More is not always better; often it's just more."

This philosophy extends into Cosmic Division's business operations. The studio secured funding in a seed round supported by undisclosed partners and is currently prioritising building its small development team.

"At this stage, every investment we make is really about establishing the right foundations for the studio, and creating the right environment for great games to emerge consistently and sustainably over the long term. Above all, we want to maintain our momentum and focus on building the best possible game with our lean and mean team."

As for its first game, Krueger says Cosmic Division is "building on the strengths and lessons we've accumulated over the years of creating intense, compelling action games."

"Players will likely recognise some of our creative DNA, but they should also expect a few surprises along the way. We want to establish a unique voice for Cosmic Division with our first title, and part of the excitement of starting a new studio is the opportunity to challenge ourselves creatively and explore new territory."

"Ultimately, I don't believe there's a secret formula for standing out. Quality rarely comes from ideas alone; it comes from commitment, execution and craftsmanship. All we can do is focus on making the best game possible, push ourselves creatively, and create something we're genuinely proud of. If we succeed at that, I trust we'll find our audience."

Kreuger was previously the game director of Housemarque's Returnal | Image credit: Housemarque Lessons from AAA development

This "responsibly ambitious" approach is rooted in lessons learned from the team's collective experience in the AAA space – specifically, what not to do.

"It has taught us to be careful and deliberate," notes Krueger. "Creating a game is an enormous challenge, even with an established team, clear vision, and strong funding. Building a studio from the ground up adds a separate layer of complexity, so it’s important to be disciplined about where we invest our time, energy, and resources."

"Another big lesson from AAA development is that too much scale and ambition inevitably introduce complexity, and significant effort can go towards managing overhead and minimising inefficiencies. While that might be necessary for building certain large-scale experiences, I believe the games we want to create at Cosmic Division can be achieved while staying fairly lean.

"Quality rarely comes from ideas alone; it comes from commitment, execution and craftsmanship"

"Growing beyond a certain point can slow things down, reduce flexibility, and make it harder to stay aligned around a singular vision. That's usually when compromise starts creeping in. And compromising often leads to mediocrity."

Krueger also advocates for a "subtractive" design process to avoid the common pitfalls of over-ambition.

"One of the biggest lessons is that ambition needs to be balanced with realism and execution. That means scoping responsibly, growing deliberately, and resisting the temptation to create your magnum opus at every turn. Brainstorming is additive, but great design is often subtractive. The process of distillation should start early, to avoid late-stage cuts and compromises that can negatively affect both the game and the team."

Krueger ultimately recognised that focusing on essentials applies not only to game development but also to building the studio.

"Starting Cosmic Division has reinforced that lesson, as my role today is much broader than it was as a developer. I'm still deeply passionate about the craft, and maintaining a clear creative vision remains a core part of my job.

"The difference is that I now have to create the conditions for that vision to succeed: building the team, finding the right partners, securing funding, and making sure the studio itself remains healthy and sustainable in the long term."