Sony canceled two major live service games that Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games were developing. The cancellation is speculated to be part of Sony’s decision to scale down live-service titles since the PS5 was released. The game studios will remain operational, and speculation builds over probable staff layoffs. The Japanese media company has been a core stakeholder in the gaming sphere, given its development of PlayStation consoles and other game titles. However, the company recently shifted its approach and scaled down the development of some games in its portfolio. Sony cancels major live-service projects Jason Schreier just reported Sony canceled both Bend Studio and Bluepoint's games. Both were live service. One of them was a live service God of War game…This is unreal. PlayStation's studio mismanagement this generation is embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/LIeoCJ8SoK — MBG (@xMBGx) January 16, 2025 Jason Schreier reported that Sony would be cancelling two major live-service projects that Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games were developing. Bend Studio’s canceled project was a military shooter game, while Bluepoint’s project was a God of War-like live-service game. The Japanese firm will keep Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games open following the cancellation of their projects. The report expects the Bluepoint Games and Bend Studio to be assigned to new projects that will tap into each studio’s strengths. The cancellation of the two projects is not an isolated incident and is linked to Sony’s ambitious goals that were announced in 2022. Sony had previously set a lofty goal that it was going to launch 12 live-service titles by March 2026 to tap into the revenue generated by the genre. However, by mid-2023, Sony’s CFO Hiroki Totoki announced that the company’s goal had been cut to six live-service games by 2026. Totoki stated that the decision was made to ensure the games met gamer expectations while also ensuring they would be playable for a long time. With the cancellation of the two projects in early 2025, Sony’s ability to meet its goal became questionable. The Japanese firm has so far canceled eight live-service games. The Japanese company has dropped Bluepoint’s God of War game, Bend Studio’s military shooter, Bungie’s Destiny spin-off “Payback,” Firesprite’s Twisted Metal project, and Firewalk Studios’ Concord, which closed shortly after launch. Sony also scrapped Insomniac’s Spider-Man live-service game, London Studio’s co-op project, and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Online. Sony’s list of upcoming live-service games shrunk further, with only a handful remaining in development. The Japanese video game company is still working on four games, but no further information has been provided on the projects so far. The games under development include a Horizon Zero Dawn multiplayer game, Fairgame$ by Haven, Bungie’s extraction shooter Marathon in 2025, and another Bungie game codenamed “Gummi Bears.” Additionally, while Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games remain open, the company has yet to provide more information on whether layoffs and job cuts will be coming. Gamers speculate on the future of Sony’s Live-service games Gamers online speculated on the future of Sony’s live-service titles after news of the two cancelled projects spread. Many gamers likened Sony to Ubisoft after it added the two projects to its extensive list of cancelled titles, which had seemingly expanded over the last two years. The gamers said they were surprised that Sony pulled the plug after the studios developing the games had sunk in years of effort. The gamers added that Sony had mismanaged the much-anticipated games and they’d only recover in the PS6 generation. “That’s why they barely had games. They kept canceling their games and lost lots of time and resources and doing so. Maybe they are avoiding Concord part 2 and now minimizing their losses.” – Cloud However, some gamers welcomed the news, saying that the Japanese company must have known that the public did not want more poor-quality live-service gamers. This section of gamers stated that only the video game company knew the status of the projects and had made an informed decision to prevent another disaster like Concord from happening. The gamers also questioned Sony’s next move, with emphasis on what would come next for the development staff and the status of future games developed by beloved game studios such as Bluepoint. From Zero to Web3 Pro: Your 90-Day Career Launch Plan
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