Sony Re-Commits To Live-Service Games, Says Bungie’s Marathon Won’t Suffer Concord’s Fate

Despite not all of Sony’s live-service game launches being as successful as Helldivers 2, Sony has persisted and remains committed to producing more live-service games, even following the setbacks experienced with Concord and Fairgame$.

During a recent Sony business gathering, PlayStation leader Hermen Hulst expressed confidence that Bungie’s upcoming live-service game, Marathon, won’t meet the same unfortunate end as Concord.

According to IGN’s report, Hulst mentioned that feedback from Marathon’s most recent alpha test was mixed, yet he still sees the live-service sector as an exciting prospect for the company. Hulst further explained that Concord, in the highly competitive realm of live-service multiplayer games, lacked sufficient uniqueness.

He mentioned that they had thoroughly examined their procedures in response to the issue, aiming to fully grasp why the title didn’t live up to expectations and to avoid repeating similar errors in the future.

According to Hulst, Sony has implemented a stricter approval system for testing the creative and financial potential of their games.

Marathon’s goal, as stated by Hulst, is to develop a game that is exceptionally daring, highly innovative, and incredibly engaging. The response to the Marathon alpha test was diverse, and Hulst emphasized that the purpose of early testing is to collect feedback which can later be utilized to enhance the product’s quality.

He mentioned that the continuous process of testing, making improvements, and then retesting is a crucial element for the prosperity of a live service, not just during the pre-launch phase, but also throughout the entire lifetime of the game.

In his statement, Hulst didn’t address the debate about Marathon involving Bungie’s admission of discovering potentially stolen artwork assets within the game.

In the realm of free-to-play games, a game from TopMob’s Marathon, though priced, that offers less content but is filled with aspirations, ideals, and aspirations might not convince others as much as it does me about Bungie’s potential.

The marathon is scheduled to be launched on the 23rd of September. There have been speculations about possible delays, but so far, it seems like everything is still moving forward according to plan.

Regarding Sony’s overall strategy for live services, Hulst emphasized that they are highly dedicated to creating a versatile and robust collection of live services.

This week, reports confirmed that Sony reduced its workforce at the studio responsible for Days Gone, as they had previously canceled a live-service game at the studio. Earlier, it was said that Sony scrapped a God of War live-service project, and Naughty Dog abandoned The Last of Us Online in 2023. More recently, it has been reported that Sony’s multiplayer heist game Fairgame$ might not release until 2026 due to concerns.

Read More

2025-06-13 16:39