PlayStation is Forgetting What Made it Successful

The PS5 is selling comparably to its highly successful predecessor, which is Sony’s primary concern. However, from a PlayStation standpoint, this console generation has been quite chaotic. Over the past few years, Sony has experienced multiple public setbacks, made questionable decisions, found itself in various disputes, and stirred up more customer anger than during the PS4 era.

During the PS4 era, PlayStation experienced a golden age comparable to its success during the PS2 days, if not surpassing it. However, the PS5 period has been more of a rollercoaster ride than a smooth ascent. Despite PlayStation’s ongoing success, evidenced by strong sales and profitable ventures, Sony seems to be stumbling occasionally in its own steps. While the platform’s momentum, top-notch hardware, and industry-wide software support keep it from falling significantly, Sony itself appears to be struggling with self-imposed hurdles.

In their continuing string of setbacks, Sony has recently scrapped two projects, as announced first by Jason Schreier at Bloomberg. SIE Bend Studio’s live-service open world game and the secret project being developed by Bluepoint Games since the release of the Demon’s Souls remake have both been terminated. The latter was a live-service spinoff of the popular God of War series, adding to the disappointment.

It’s clear that there’s a lot to discuss about this situation, so let’s break it down step by step, starting with the studio known as Bend. After the release of “Days Gone” in 2019, the developers behind the game experienced a string of bad luck. The game didn’t receive the broad critical acclaim that Sony desired, and a proposed sequel was subsequently denied (even though the initial game sold well). Rumors suggested that Bend would be tasked with an unannounced “Uncharted” project, but this too was eventually abandoned. In 2021, it was disclosed that Bend had begun work on a new open-world IP utilizing technology from “Days Gone”. Now, sadly, even this project has been terminated, which appears to be the most unfortunate turn of events for Bend.

Despite Bluepoint’s success in creating two critically-acclaimed single-player remakes, such as Shadow of the Colossus, Sony’s decision to acquire the studio appears particularly questionable. Here’s a breakdown: After working with them, Sony decided that 1) it was best for Bluepoint, a single-player focused studio, to shift gears and work on a live service game, which seems counterintuitive. 2) This live service game was planned as a God of War spinoff, an idea that raises doubts no matter the perspective. 3) Moreover, Sony decided to delay the project’s cancellation until 2025, suggesting a lack of timely decision-making.

Sony has given assurances that Bluepoint and Bend studios won’t be permanently closed due to recent project shutdowns, which is certainly a positive note. However, it doesn’t mean there won’t be any negative consequences. Specifically, the company can’t guarantee there won’t be layoffs. Currently, both studios are facing the challenge of starting entirely new projects from the ground up, which, given the current situation, suggests that we might not see anything from either studio on the PS5. We’re nearly at the end of this console generation, and all indications suggest the PS6 will hit stores around 2028. It’s extremely unlikely that either studio will be able to release anything before then unless they reuse a significant amount of work from their recently cancelled projects.

The Great Web, London Studio’s live service game, the mysterious Deviation Games project, Bluepoint’s God of War spinoff, and Bend’s open world game have all been cancelled. Additionally, the studio responsible for London Studio’s live service game was closed down.

Of course, there’s also Concord, a significant first-party software flop in gaming history, particularly on the PlayStation platform. The game was only available for two weeks, during which it saw minimal sales, prompting Sony to close down the studio permanently. As reported by journalist Jeff Grubb, this humiliating failure of Concord allegedly influenced Sony’s decision to reassess their live service portfolio, eventually leading to the cancellation of projects from studios like Bluepoint and Bend. While it’s positive that the company is learning from its mistakes, as live service projects are indeed risky, often given to studios whose expertise lie elsewhere, and struggle to captivate audiences.

It’s worth questioning the purpose of this ongoing push for live services by Sony, given their history of setbacks. Despite taking numerous blows, Sony insists it’s not abandoning this field just yet. In the works are titles such as Horizon Online, Marathon, an unannounced project named Project Gummy Bears, and Fairgame$. However, the reception to these games remains uncertain. Fairgame$ has faced a rough public response since its unveiling, raising concerns that it may follow in the footsteps of Concord. Additionally, rumors suggest that the development of Marathon is disorganized, and the game is reportedly in a troubled state behind the scenes. It seems that even the live service projects at PlayStation that have managed to survive the chop are far from smooth sailing.

A multitude of individuals are expected to gather outside PlayStation HQ, waving signs proclaiming their earlier predictions, and it’s hard not to concur. Given the numerous instances of companies stumbling in their attempts to capture a piece of the live service market, and many renowned single-player studios meeting unfortunate ends due to hasty live service transitions, one might wonder why Sony, with its vast knowledge, would dare to think, “But we can excel where others have stumbled.

Initially, many people, including myself, were prepared to believe the company’s promising track record in single-player games might extend to live services as well. However, reality has shown us otherwise, and unfortunately, Sony joins the list of companies that have learned too late about a significant error in judgment. It appears that Sony is now readjusting its focus from live services back to its iconic single-player games, which made it such a powerful entity in the gaming industry. It’s regrettable that this adjustment seems to have squandered an entire console generation as Sony pursued trends that were already starting to feel outdated when they entered the scene.

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2025-01-22 00:11

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