Neon Koi was a German-Finnish developer that was founded in 2020 under the name 'Savage Game Studios'. It was under this initial name when Sony acquired them in August 2022, before rebranding to Neon Koi in November 2023 after many leadership resignations.
When it comes to Neon Koi's PS5 output, they didn't release anything. That's because they were a founding member of PlayStation Studios's Mobile Division and 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 four years prior, NK didn't even announce the name of their 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, or the failed rebranding to Neon Koi in 2023.
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.
