PlayStation: Failure in Live Service Games

The Sony strategy for live service games on the PlayStation has been marked by a series of failures and challenges, with multiple titles being canceled or delayed. The company, which had planned to release 12 live service games by March 2026, saw its ambition clash with the reality of development and the market. The difficulty in establishing a strong presence in this segment contrasts with Sony's success in single-player narrative games.

Despite investments and studio acquisitions, Sony has not yet found the formula to effectively compete in the saturated and competitive live service games market, a segment dominated by established giants.

Sony had planned to have a dozen live service games in its portfolio by the end of the fiscal year 2026. However, this number has been drastically reduced. The publisher did not detail how many games were canceled or delayed, but the scenario suggests that most projects did not meet internal expectations.

One of the biggest signs of this failure was the cancellation of Twisted Metal and the delay of Concord, a 5v5 shooter from Firewalk Studios. Concord has already been delayed to 2025, and the cancellation of Twisted Metal demonstrates Sony's lack of confidence in projects that are not performing as expected.

Sony's investment in live service games is significant. In October 2022, the company acquired Bungie, a studio known for Destiny 2, for US$ 3.6 billion, with the goal of leveraging its expertise in the genre. However, not even Bungie has escaped challenges. Rumors of development issues with Marathon, another Bungie live service title, indicate that the transition to this model is more complex than anticipated, even for experienced studios.

The challenges are not limited to new projects. The Last of Us Part 2 Factions, the standalone multiplayer mode of The Last of Us Part 2, has also had its development paused. This highly anticipated game by fans could have been one of the cornerstones of Sony's live service strategy.