Sony’s PS5 Generation Has Been Marred by Live Service Failures

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2021 seems to be an exceptional year for PlayStation 5 games, doesn’t it? Kojima Productions’ “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” is set to release on June 26th and promises to surpass the original in most aspects. Sucker Punch’s “Ghost of Yōtei” will follow suit on October 2nd, and it appears that it may outshine its predecessor in almost every way as well. Compared to last year, where “Astro Bot” was the primary highlight, this year seems to offer a more diverse and impressive lineup.

Back in the day, Sony announced that the game Ghost of Yōtei was the start of their plan to launch significant single-player games annually. This statement has been quite relevant lately as Sony has spotlighted Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yōtei as their major single-player releases for the remainder of this fiscal year. As for what’s next, there’s no word yet, but we can expect Marvel’s Wolverine and Intergalactic sometime in the future. Additionally, Housemarque’s Saros has a confirmed release window in 2026.

[YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZ8w6clqo4]

It’s no secret that the company has been reluctant to acknowledge the struggles of its live service initiative and the impact those struggles have had on many of its surviving studios. With Naughty Dog cancelling “The Last of Us” standalone multiplayer title in 2023, it likely didn’t foresee “Helldivers 2” becoming such a resounding success. Despite this, the company has persisted in following Jim Ryan’s ambitious goal to launch over ten live service titles before April 2026.

By June 2025, three additional projects have been axed before they could even be unveiled, with SIE London Studio having closed down. Bend Studio has undergone layoffs and is working on a new project. Bluepoint Games remains relatively obscure. The speculated Twisted Metal and Insomniac’s Spider-Man: Great Web are said to have been scrapped. Fairgame$ (now reportedly Fairgames without the dollar sign) is in distress, as its founder Jade Raymond has left Haven Studios and there have been no updates since the CGI trailer two years prior. An external playtest reportedly received mixed reviews, with some describing the battle royale/extraction shooter experience as drawing inspiration from Fortnite and The Division.

I forgot that a Horizon multiplayer title was in the works, and you did too.

And I would go, “The less said about Concord, perhaps the biggest first-party failure in Sony’s history, the better.” However, at a reported cost of $200 million, which didn’t include the price of acquiring Firewalk Studios or the game’s rights (and didn’t even fully fund development), that statement doesn’t do enough justice to the sheer damage caused.

After that, we have Marathon, and what can I say about it? The initial unveiling was underwhelming compared to the excitement generated by the first teaser. Critical responses from the closed alpha testing, as reported by Sony, suggest a mix of opinions, leaning towards negative. Frustrations stemmed from the limited content. And let’s not forget the controversy surrounding the use of an independent artist’s assets without permission. The repercussions seem so severe that Bungie hasn’t presented anything new since then. The potential advantage is that it postponed the game beyond September 23rd, with plans to refine and polish the game further, including implementing proximity chat. At this point, the most noteworthy aspect is the CGI trailer, which seems like it belongs to a different world altogether.

How did things take such a turn for the worse for a publisher known for some of the best triple-A single-player titles globally? It’s perplexing to see the PS5 launch with more outstanding first-party games compared to all releases last year, excluding The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. Although there are promising games on the horizon this year, with only a few months separating Death Stranding 2 and Ghost of Yōtei, the outlook for the future is uncertain. It’s intriguing to note that Microsoft has published more titles than Sony, both third and first-party, this year. Their upcoming first-party releases, including Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, the next Forza, State of Decay 3, Perfect Dark, and Clockwork Revolution, seem significantly more appealing.

At what stage did Sony’s higher-ups decide to set aside their well-known franchises like Uncharted, Sly Cooper, LittleBigPlanet, Until Dawn, Jak and Daxter, Syphon Filter, MotorStorm, inFamous, Killzone, Resistance, and others in favor of focusing on quick profit opportunities? When did they decide to put these iconic series on hold? It’s puzzling that even The Last of Us, which released its second part five years ago, still has no signs of a sequel or any related developments. Interestingly, at least Naughty Dog is working on new projects, with Neil Druckmann leading one of them.

It’s particularly disheartening that these choices are hurting the company in addition to the layoffs and scrapped projects. For instance, if Bluepoint Games were developing a Bloodborne remaster, or reviving Motorstorm with improved graphics and expansive landscapes, or even producing a Days Gone sequel, it would be exciting. However, the possibility of these seems uncertain at best for now.

Is it worse than Sony continuing to invest in Marathon and Fairgames, which could either be duds or disasters in the making? Honestly, choose the lesser evil at this point. Similar to Concord, it’s probably a case of Sony trying to recoup some of the cash already invested in these titles. Sadly, it’s not. In Sony’s recent Fireside Chat with investors, PlayStation Studios head Herment Hulst said the company remains “very committed to building a diverse and resilient live service portfolio.”

Regarding the complexities of Concord, he stated that lessons had been learned, emphasizing their commitment to avoiding past errors. To achieve this, they’ve strengthened their validation procedures for creative, commercial, and development assumptions, making them more frequent and thorough. As for Marathon, the plan is to unveil a game that’s incredibly daring, innovative, and immersive. This statement was made prior to any delay announcements, but it’s evident that Sony remains dedicated to live service games, despite past setbacks.

The harm isn’t beyond repair, taking into account an entire console generation. Moreover, it might be unnecessary for Sony to worry about the number of exclusive games they are putting out, given that the PS5 has apparently made more profit than all the PlayStations from 1 to 4 combined. This generation, the PS5 has showcased some outstanding third-party games such as Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Black Myth: Wukong, and a remake of Silent Hill 2.

Looking ahead, there’s still excitement for the game “Lost Soul Aside“, despite the numerous setbacks over the years. Alongside it, we have a host of ChinaHero projects such as “Daba: Land of Water Scar, Exiledge, The Winds Rising“, just to name a few. It’s true that games like “AI Limit” and “Evotinction” didn’t leave a significant mark, but they pale in comparison to the bigger titles on the horizon.

It appears we’ve moved past “arrogant Sony” and into the territory of “unconcerned Sony,” where it seems they can easily switch from a failed project without worrying about losing PS5 buyers. If you don’t receive a new game in your preferred series, not even one made by their first-party studio, then that’s too bad. Perhaps we’ll see something new in the next console generation.

Having invested numerous hours into “Ghost of Tsushima: Legends”, I recall my initial thoughts upon hearing about the project, which were, “Well, that’s overkill.” It appeared as though Sony may have underestimated why “Legends” – and even “Factions” from “The Last of Us” – was so well-liked and successful. However, I had faith that they wouldn’t make a mistake, right? Now, with their persistent determination to find success in the live-service sector, I can only hope they continue on their path and focus on what they do best. It’s far less appealing to chase trends that fans are tired of, but even more so to pursue those that they never truly embraced from the beginning.

As a gamer, I’d like to express that the opinions shared within this post are mine alone. They don’t necessarily reflect the perspectives or official stance of GamingBolt as a whole.

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2025-06-24 13:11