Opinion: Sony’s Disgraceful Bluepoint Closure Should Concern Every PS Studios Fan

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Sony unexpectedly closed down Bluepoint Games, the popular Texas-based studio, yesterday. Despite being a long-time collaborator with PlayStation Studios, Bluepoint never released a game after being acquired by Sony.

I was especially disappointed to hear this news, as it seems to confirm a decline in PlayStation’s leadership that many of us have noticed recently.

While the shutdowns of Neon Koi and Firewalk were disappointing, neither studio managed to connect with PlayStation fans. Neon Koi was reportedly developing a mobile game that was ultimately cancelled, and Firewalk’s launch title, Concord, unfortunately received widespread criticism.

Bluepoint Games had a long and successful history with PlayStation as an independent studio. Ironically, problems only seemed to arise after Sony officially brought them under its umbrella, suggesting years of internal issues were to blame.

It’s funny timing that this news comes only a week after Santa Monica Studio revealed the God of War Trilogy Remake, a project that seems ideally suited to Bluepoint Games’ strengths. Bluepoint first gained recognition among PlayStation fans with their fantastic God of War Collection for the PS3.

I don’t know the full story of what happened internally, but it seems clear to everyone that dedicating the studio’s efforts to a live-service game based on God of War – a project that was ultimately cancelled last year – was a huge waste of time and money.

Some people believe Bluepoint Games originally proposed this project, and that’s probably accurate. However, it’s just as likely that Sony was only approving games designed as ongoing services, and even in that situation, the team leading the project should have recognized the risks and declined the idea.

I’m not a high-level industry professional, but it’s clear to me that Bluepoint’s team of around 70 people wouldn’t have had the capacity to handle a project this large. Plus, it’s worth questioning whether PlayStation fans would even be interested in something like this.

I’ve consistently supported Sony’s approach to ongoing, live service games, and I believe it’s a good direction for them. The numbers show that a small number of games – about 10 – actually bring in over half of the revenue from the PlayStation Store. Importantly, these aren’t games made by Sony themselves, and they could potentially exist on other platforms. That should be a real concern for Sony.

I think PlayStation, led by Hermen Hulst, has made a significant mistake. They haven’t used their resources effectively and have invested in unsuccessful games. While they could have successfully combined their classic, single-player games with new online service games, they’ve failed at both creating them well and explaining their vision to players.

It’s with no pleasure that I say Fairgames likely won’t launch, which unfortunately means Haven, one of the studios we acquired, will have to close. And although it’s a collaboration rather than a fully owned project, the outlook for 4:LOOP isn’t promising either.

I’d like to refer you to some comments I made a few months ago in the 2026 predictions article. Based on the evidence, I don’t think Louis van Gaal will still be in his role by the end of the year.

I actually thought his email to staff was a bit rude. He explained Bluepoint’s closure by saying the industry was tough, with increasing development costs and slower growth.

It’s hard to take those claims seriously when PlayStation is also celebrating its most profitable period ever. Plus, Bluepoint isn’t a large or costly team – they’re not located in California like many of PlayStation’s other studios, and they have a relatively small staff.

All of which brings me to my wider concerns about PS Studios.

What I always admired about PlayStation, beyond the fantastic games, was how carefully they oversaw and supported their internal game development teams.

Honestly, it feels like something’s really changing in the industry, and it’s a bit scary. Seeing even a studio as respected as Bluepoint potentially affected by all this makes me wonder how safe other amazing teams like Media Molecule and Bend Studio are. It’s starting to feel like no one is truly secure, and that’s a real worry for us gamers.

I’m really disappointed to say that PlayStation doesn’t seem to be doing as well as it used to, and I think poor management is the reason. The situation with Bluepoint Games is especially frustrating, and I’m very upset about how things have unfolded.

Heads should roll for what’s happened here.

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2026-02-20 09:37