‘I’m Confident in the Direction We’re Headed’: Under-Fire PlayStation Boss Tries to Explain Baffling Bluepoint Closure

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Naturally, Sony and PlayStation released a statement addressing the surprising news that they were closing Bluepoint Games.

A statement from Hermen Hulst, the head of PlayStation Studios, is circulating online, where he tries to explain the reason for the recent closure.

He writes:

“Hello everyone,

I wanted to share an important update from the Studio Business.

As I shared during the December Town Hall, 2025 was a great year for PlayStation Studios. Ghost of Yōtei was a hit with both critics and players, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach proved our dedication to compelling storytelling, and games like Helldivers 2 and MLB The Show kept players engaged and contributed strongly to revenue.

We’re also facing a tougher gaming industry landscape. It’s becoming more difficult to create games long-term due to increasing development expenses, slower growth in the industry, shifts in how players play, and general economic challenges.

The world is constantly changing, so we’re always working to improve and prepare for what’s next. After carefully reviewing our business, we’ve made the difficult decision to close Bluepoint Games in March. This will help us focus on future opportunities and continue providing great experiences.

We didn’t make this decision easily. Bluepoint is a remarkably skilled team, and their technical abilities have consistently created fantastic games for PlayStation fans. I’d like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at Bluepoint for their innovation, dedication to detail, and commitment to making high-quality products. We’ll do our best to find new roles for affected employees within our other studios around the world.

I understand this news may be disappointing, but I’m optimistic about our future. PlayStation Studios is still deeply committed to creativity, innovation, and delivering amazing experiences for our players. We have a strong plan for the next year, and there’s a lot to be excited about.

Thank you for your hard work and continued support.”

Since Sony announced their plans, the online reaction has been overwhelmingly negative. We’ve seen a lot of shock and anger, particularly in the comments sections, with most of the criticism aimed directly at Sony.

A major reason people are upset is the news that Bluepoint Games was developing a live-service version of God of War, but that project was cancelled about a year ago.

Although the project wasn’t publicly announced, it was surprising to learn about it, considering Bluepoint Games is known for making excellent remakes of older titles.

Hulst encouraged many PlayStation Studios to create games that are constantly updated with new content, known as live service games. Because of this focus, some people believe the number of traditional, standalone games available on the PS5 is currently limited.

Okay, so the news isn’t great, but at least it sounds like Sony’s trying to find spots for the talented folks at Bluepoint on other PlayStation teams. Hopefully, that means they won’t lose their jobs, which is a small win, honestly.

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2026-02-20 00:37