Sony cancels two more live service games, including one based on God of War – report

Sony has cancelled two more of its once-envisioned live service Playstation projects.

Back in February 2022, Sony stated it aimed to launch over 10 new live service games over the coming years. A month later, then-Sony exec Jim Ryan said he believed live service games were a key part of gaming’s future, confident in PlayStation’s live service push.

However, since then, the company has been pulling back on this vision, with several proposed projects cancelled. And now, two more live service games have been added to that list.

A report by Bloomberg now reveals two further live service games – one from Days Gone developer Bend and one from Bluepoint – have been cancelled by PlayStation following a “recent review”.

The company did not say whether these cancellations will lead to any layoffs, however it said neither of the two affected PlayStation studios will be shut down. “Bend and Bluepoint are highly accomplished teams who are valued members of the PlayStation Studios family, and we are working closely with each studio to determine what are the next projects,” a spokesperson told Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, a memo sent to staff stated Sony was going to do “everything” it can to “ensure there is minimal business impact” following the recent cancellations. In the meantime, PlayStation will continue making both online and single-player games.

As for what the impacted studios were working on, according to reporter Jason Schrier, Bluepoint was developing a live service game within the God of War series.

Bend, meanwhile, revealed it was working on a new IP which would include multiplayer and “[build] upon the open-world systems of Days Gone” back in 2022. In March of last year, a recruitment advert was posted to the studio’s website, which revealed the team was looking to secure a lead project manager with “hands on game development experience in leadership roles shipping AAA live-service games”.

Today’s news that Sony has cancelled two more live service projects sees PlayStation stepping further back from those lofty plans it shared just a few years ago. While the company has had a success story in the shape of Helldivers 2 – which released last year and quickly became a hit – others have not fared so well.

Most prominently, Sony’s 5v5 sci-fi shooter Concord was taken offline just two weeks after its PC and PS5 debut, following a lackluster launch and weak sales. The game had been in the works for eight years, it had been said.

Numerous other live service games have been cancelled by Sony, including London Studio’s co-op game, with the studio also shut down last year. In 2023, Naughty Dog cancelled its standalone multiplayer game set in the world of The Last of Us. Additionally, a live service Twisted Metal project at Firespite was cancelled. In March of last year, footage of a cancelled co-operative live service Spider-Man game from developer Insomniac – titled Spider-Man: The Great Web – appeared online.

While some live service projects still remain in the pipeline, in 2023, it was said Sony was “uncomfortable” about outgoing PlayStation boss Jim Ryan’s pivot to games as a service.