Neon Koi was a German-Finnish developer that was founded in 2020 as Savage Game Studios. Sony acquired them under this initial name in August 2022, before rebranding as Neon Koi in November 2023 following many leadership resignations.
When it comes to Neon Koi's PS5 output, they didn't even announce anything. That's because they were a founding member of PlayStation Studios's Mobile Division and were acquired to exclusively develop mobile games. According to their 2022 acquisition press release, their debut title was supposedly a AAA live-service action game that was still very early in development.
Neon Koi closed in October 2024. Yet despite forming 4 years prior, NK didn't even announce the name of their mobile game, let alone show gameplay or actually ship it.
In fact, Neon Koi was only known for negative headlines, like when a founder and the head of PlayStation's Mobile Division abruptly quit under suspicious circumstances in mid-2023, or the failed rebranding to Neon Koi a few months later.
At best, Neon Koi are an insignificant PS5 era footnote in PlayStation's history. At worst, they're a glaring example of mistakes made by former PlayStation leadership. From short-sighted, poorly researched acquisitions, to wasted spending on games that were cancelled before they were even announced, NK embodies the missteps of the Jim Ryan era.
