- Two unannounced live service games have been canceled by Sony
- This was confirmed by a company spokesperson
- They were in development at Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games
Sony has canceled two unannounced live service games.
According to Bloomberga Sony spokesperson confirmed they had been canceled “following recent review.” They were in development at two PlayStation studios, Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games.
Bend Studio is known for developing PlayStation exclusives, most recently The days gone by. Bluepoint Games usually specializes in full remasters or remakes, like the PlayStation 5 version of The souls of demons as well as the PlayStation 4 version of Shadow of the Colossus.
Although the games have been canceled, neither studio will be shut down. “Bend and Bluepoint are highly accomplished teams who are valued members of the PlayStation Studios family,” the spokesperson continued. “We are working closely with each studio to determine what the next projects are.”
Sony also clarified that it intends to “do everything possible to ensure minimal business impact”, although it is unclear whether this will involve job cuts. Bluepoint Games Reportedly Working on a Live Service God of War title, the scope of which is probably similar to that of the The Last of Us Online game developer Naughty Dog which was canceled in December 2023.
These two unannounced games were part of a broader initiative by Sony to invest in live service tiles, which can be very successful. The tastes of Fortnite Or Destiny 2 provide a consistent revenue stream and can keep players engaged for years with frequent content updates. That said, an extremely crowded market makes setting up a new live service very risky.
Last year, Sony launched Helldiverse 2which sold well and is the perfect example of a live hit. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we also saw the big-budget Concord struggle to make a big impact, with disastrous sales leading to its closure just two weeks after launch. It seems reasonable to assume that these cancellations are measures to avoid a similar disaster.
