Operating live service games can be a highly effective method for a game studio or publisher to consistently earn money, given that they demand significantly less effort compared to creating a brand new game from scratch. This is why the ‘games-as-service’ model has been increasingly adopted by studios in search of financial resources. Instead of investing time and energy into launching a fresh title to secure additional funding, they prefer to focus on upkeeping an established game.
It appears that not all publishers have the ability to develop live-service games, a challenge evident in Sony’s unusual efforts to launch one of their own.
Live Service Games Are Successful on PS4 & PS5
Although Sony’s PlayStation Studios haven’t published many live service games themselves, these types of games have proved incredibly popular on the console. For instance, Bungie’s Destiny franchise, although it faced criticism, has been running and generating income for a decade. Sea of Thieves also saw success on PlayStation following its release, joining Helldivers 2 in bringing significant revenue to Sony in 2024. However, upon closer inspection, it’s clear that none of these games were created under direct supervision by Sony.
Although Sony’s PlayStation console boasts a multitude of live service games, Sony Interactive Entertainment doesn’t yet own any live service games developed by their various first-party studios or under the PlayStation Studios banner. Sony derives significant revenue from their library of live service games, but they appear to be encountering challenges in developing one that bears their own name. The much-anticipated release of “Concord” in August 2024, which ultimately failed, has caused Sony to reconsider and cancel several live service adaptations of existing Sony titles, providing minimal reasoning for the decisions.
Why Has Sony Failed to Make Its Own Live Service Game?
Although PlayStation offers a variety of live service game genres, Sony hasn’t managed to release any notable titles in this format. In early 2025, the multiplayer God of War project developed by Bluepoint Games was cancelled, making it the ninth live service game development cancellation by Sony subsidiaries. This list includes the cancelled live service versions of Spider-Man from Insomniac, The Last of Us from Naughty Dog, and several unnamed projects from subsidiary studios.
It appears that Sony has encountered difficulties in developing something substantial within the live service format. The game Concord, developed over eight years starting around the same time as Overwatch, entered a market already overflowing with free-to-play hero shooters that had built-up followings. Whether this release was due to a sunk cost fallacy or a lack of foresight by Sony’s research team, the result was a dismal failure. Regrettably, Sony and PlayStation Interactive have yet to show significant progress in creating an original live service game, seemingly uninspired by the wealth of games available on their platform.
Sony Needs a Break From New Live Service Titles
Instead of repeatedly colliding with the dead-end of live service game issues, Sony should focus on sustaining the games that have built their reputation: immersive single-player RPGs. Iconic series like God of War, Uncharted, The Last of Us, Horizon, and Spider-Man are among Sony’s most successful, demonstrating their knack for crafting captivating action RPGs that fans adore. It seems inefficient to launch, nurture, and then abandon a live service game that won’t generate profits; this effort could be better utilized creating games that people will appreciate instead.
Given that PlayStation’s live service games generate approximately 20-30% of Sony’s total revenue in 2024 (as per Sony CFO Lin Tao), one might question if it’s wise to continue focusing on these types of games when they’re already raking in substantial profits from their established titles. However, since Sony is still figuring out the key elements for successful live-service games, there are concerns about investing too heavily in this area before the publisher has fully prepared for it.
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2025-08-16 15:21