Arrival Poaches PlayStation Veterans in Major Canadian Expansion

LOS ANGELES, CA – April 07, 2026 – Arrival, the game industry co-development partner and a division of Streamland Media, today announced a landmark expansion with the launch of new Canadian studios and the appointment of three new executives. While the move itself marks a significant scaling of the company's global capabilities, the identities of the new hires reveal a far more strategic play: a veritable talent coup, with all three leaders hailing from the highest echelons of Sony's acclaimed PlayStation Studios.

The company has appointed Phillip Kovats as Senior Vice President, Head of Audio; Jeremie Voillot as Studio Head, Canada; and Leilani Ramirez as Head of Dialogue. This trio brings with them a shared history of shaping some of the most critically and commercially successful franchises of the last decade, including God of War, The Last of Us, Uncharted, and Marvel's Spider-Man. Their collective move to Arrival is a powerful statement, suggesting a strategic effort to package and provide the specific brand of high-fidelity, narrative-driven creative expertise that has become synonymous with the PlayStation brand to the broader games industry.

A PlayStation Dream Team Assembled

The significance of these hires cannot be overstated. Arrival has not just acquired three skilled individuals; it has imported a core part of the creative leadership DNA from one of the world's most revered game development ecosystems. Phillip Kovats, who joins as SVP, Head of Audio, spent years as the Senior Director of Sound for PlayStation Studios, overseeing the audio direction for a string of iconic titles. His work and the work of his teams on games like Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding have been repeatedly honored with industry awards, cementing his reputation as a master of sonic storytelling.

He is joined by Jeremie Voillot, who takes the helm of the new Canadian operations. Voillot also comes from PlayStation Studios, where he was the Director of Sound Design, managing a global team of over 60 professionals. His deep experience extends back to a decade-long tenure at BioWare, where he was an Audio Director on the legendary Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. His proven ability to build and scale world-class creative teams makes him the ideal choice to spearhead Arrival's ambitious North American expansion.

Rounding out the trio is Leilani Ramirez, the new Head of Dialogue. Ramirez previously served as the Manager of Dialogue for Sony Interactive Entertainment, contributing to the rich character performances in titles like God of War and Marvel's Spider-Man. Her career began at Electronic Arts, where she led dialogue for the Medal of Honor series, and her expertise lies in building the intricate pipelines that merge technological innovation with raw artistic performance.

“Bringing Phil's extraordinary depth of audio craft together with Leilani's mastery of dialogue pipelines and Jeremie's proven leadership creates something the games industry rarely gets to see: a creative team with both the experience to lead iconic franchises and the genuine care to elevate partners at every stage of their journey,” said Paul Lipson, President of Arrival, in the company's press release.

Beyond Graphics: The New Frontier of Immersion

This strategic hiring spree directly addresses a growing industry demand for what the company calls "unprecedented levels of immersion and scale." For years, graphical fidelity was the primary benchmark for a game's technical prowess. Today, as visuals approach photorealism, the new frontier for player engagement lies in the subtleties of sound and the power of narrative. Sophisticated audio design and believable character dialogue are no longer complementary features but core pillars of the immersive experience that modern players expect.

Kovats' philosophy, honed over a 25-year career, perfectly captures this shift. "Sound is where emotion lives in a game," he stated in the announcement. "Players feel before they think, and it's audio that makes them feel." By bringing in Kovats and Ramirez, Arrival is betting that its partners—ranging from massive international publishers to ambitious independent studios—are seeking to infuse their projects with the same emotional depth and narrative polish found in PlayStation's most celebrated titles.

The focus on specialized dialogue services under Ramirez underscores this trend. As game worlds become larger and stories more complex, the sheer volume and quality of character interactions have become a monumental challenge. Arrival's investment in this area signals an intent to provide solutions that go beyond mere recording, focusing on creating authentic performances that bring digital characters to life.

Planting a Flag in the Great White North

The decision to anchor this expansion in Vancouver and Edmonton is a calculated move. Canada has firmly established itself as a global epicenter for game development, boasting a rich talent pool, competitive government incentives, and a network of established studios. By opening flagship studios in these two cities, Arrival is not only expanding its production capacity but also planting its flag in one of the world's most vibrant and strategically important development ecosystems.

Under the leadership of Jeremie Voillot, these new Canadian studios are poised to become a vital resource for the industry. The goal is to offer deep, flexible co-development support, effectively allowing partners to tap into a world-class, scalable team without the overhead of building one from scratch. This model is particularly valuable in an industry grappling with ballooning budgets and increasingly complex production cycles.

In a joint statement, Voillot and Ramirez commented on their shared mission: "We are here to help our partners deliver immersive soundscapes and authentic performances that bring characters and worlds to life for players everywhere. Games are built by people, and the best games are built by people who feel supported, trusted, and genuinely inspired by the work."

This expansion transforms Arrival from a trusted co-development partner into a creative powerhouse in its own right. By acquiring a leadership team steeped in the culture of AAA excellence, the company is now positioned to offer not just technical services, but the strategic creative vision necessary to build the next generation of iconic interactive experiences. For developers of all sizes, the message is clear: the dream team behind some of gaming's most memorable moments is now available for hire.