Sony cancels two unannounced games-services, including new God of War. For devs, it was huge surprise

by

Update (January 20)

In a recent episode of Game Mess Mornings podcast, journalist Jeff Grubb revealed that employees at Bluepoint and Bend Studio found out about the termination of their games-as-a-service ventures simultaneously with the public, via a Bloomberg article publication. At present, Sony is deliberating over the future plans for both teams, hinting at future projects for neither studio being shut down.

Original news (January 17)

Based on recent news, Sony has decided not to proceed with two undisclosed game projects that were under development by Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games. One of these projects was intended to be a fresh addition to the God of War series. It appears that Sony is now adopting lessons from the disappointing performance of “Concord”, as previously suggested by one of the company’s co-CEOs, Hiroki Totoki.

Two cancelled projects

The news about the cancellation came from Jason Schreier via Bloomberg. The representative from the Japanese firm admitted to the termination, stating it happened after a “recent review.” This implies that the new projects’ quality was less than optimal. Yet, it was emphasized that Sony will persist in producing both multiplayer and single-player games, with no studios being shut down.

The skilled teams at Bend and Bluepoint are cherished parts of the PlayStation Studios community, and we’re collaborating closely with both studios to decide on their upcoming projects.

Even though the specific project Bend Studio was working on remained unknown, Schreier reported that Bluepoint was connected to the God of War series. This revelation has sparked curiosity among fans who have been eagerly waiting to find out what Bend Studio had been up to since the release of Demon’s Souls. From 2020-2022, it appears they were assisting with Ragnarok. However, later reports suggest that Bluepoint was linked to a God of War-themed game service that ultimately did not come to fruition.

Are games-as-a-service a flop?

The recent cancellations represent another hurdle in Sony’s quest to debut 12 service-focused games before the end of fiscal year 2025, as initially planned by Jim Ryan. Unfortunately, many of these projects didn’t prove durable during development and ultimately fell short.

On X, we can find a list of titles canceled by Sony, which today has increased by two new items:

  1. Concord;
  2. The Last of Us: Factions;
  3. Spider-Man 2 multiplayer;
  4. Twisted Metal;
  5. Deviation Games studio’s game;
  6. co-op game from London Studio;
  7. Payback from Bungie studio;
  8. God of War by Bluepoint Games;
  9. project from Bend Studio.

As I, Synthetic Potato, embarked on a creative journey, I decided to imagine a handful of games that could have been brought to life with the resources diverted from the previously mentioned projects. Among the potential creations, you might find innovative takes such as a new “Killzone,” “Infamous 4,” a sequel to “Days Gone,” “Little Big Planet 4,” or even a remake of the captivating “Bloodborne.

Shinobi602, who’s well-known for his insights, expressed his views, suggesting that Sony has given careful thought to its strategies in the games-as-a-service sector. He proposes that the company recognizes the challenges of this competitive market and that not all games will replicate the success of “Helldivers 2”, leading them to concentrate on their core strengths. While they’ll continue to create games-as-a-service, they plan to do so with less emphasis than before.

Recently, in December of the previous year, Sony’s CEO, Herman Hulst, indicated that they are open to reviving a classic game series that has won many hearts over the years. This implies that Sony is keen on developing games for PlayStation, PC, and single-player experiences in the future.

Read More

2025-01-20 17:02