Sony Reportedly Cancels Two More Live Service Projects

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Summary

  • Sony shelves live service projects after Concord failure
  • Bend and Bluepoint Games cancel live service projects
  • PlayStation Studios prioritize single-player games and reassess projects to avoid business impact.

It seems that after the unfortunate release of Concord, Sony is putting some of their live service projects developed by its in-house studios on hold.

According to a trustworthy source, Jason Schreier from Bloomberg, it has been indicated that both Bend and Bluepoint Games’ ongoing live service projects, which aimed at consistently earning income from players, are being closed down.

PlayStation’s Live Service Push Hits A Snag

It’s not yet officially confirmed, but there are rumors that one of the upcoming projects could be a live-service game set in the world of God of War, and this seems to be the project that Bluepoint Games has been working on.

Sony has announced the termination of the specified projects, with their representative explaining these decisions were made after a recent evaluation. Moving forward, PlayStation plans to keep producing both multiplayer and solo games.

I’m thrilled to share some good news as a fan: Both Bend and Bluepoint Studios, two esteemed members of the PlayStation family, have been assured they won’t be shutting down. We’re collaborating closely with each studio to figure out their next ventures. As for potential job changes, it’s still unclear at this moment. However, Sony has made it clear that they are working diligently with both studios to minimize any business impact.

This casts doubt on Bend Studio’s current activities, given that their most recent release was the single-player zombie action game Days Gone, launched in 2019. It’s now been six years since then and the studio has yet to unveil a new product, which is typically not a positive indicator.

Concerning Bluepoint Games, they were taken over by Sony in the year 2021. Their most recent production was a remake of FromSoftware’s original Demon’s Souls game, which debuted on the PS3 back in 2009. Apart from creating their own games, Bluepoint has also been contributing to the development of God of War Ragnarok, working alongside Santa Monica Studio as a supporting studio.

Following closely on the heels of ex-Sony boss Shuhei Yoshida’s statement about resisting the pressure to prioritize live services, if I were still leading the company, I can’t help but express my disappointment with the recent cancellations of live service projects.

It seems that Sony has at least two additional live-service games in development right now. One of these is a multiplayer game from Guerrilla Games set within the Horizon universe, while Bungie is busy creating Marathon, with updates on it expected this year.

Considering the warning given by Sony President Hiroki Totoki last year about the need for thorough checks to avoid another Concord-like incident, it’s not really shocking that these live service projects are being shut down. It’s evident that Sony is keen on avoiding a substantial financial loss like the one experienced before, and I can certainly understand their stance.

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2025-01-17 14:08