PlayStation’s Shift to Live Service Games
While PlayStation has long been celebrated for its premium AAA single-player games, the company has recently taken a significant turn towards the live service model. In a statement to investors back in 2022, Sony executive Hiroki Totoki outlined ambitious plans to roll out over ten live service titles by March 2026. This strategic pivot poses challenges, especially given that many PlayStation studios lack prior experience in developing live service games. Concerns arose regarding the potential saturation of the market due to the rapid introduction of multiple games, yet Sony has remained committed to this new direction.
The Performance of PlayStation’s Live Service Games
The performance of PlayStation’s foray into live service games has been lackluster. While the multiplayer shooter Helldivers 2 launched successfully early last year, subsequent releases have faltered. A notable failure was the hero shooter Concord, inspired by the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, which was quickly terminated just weeks post-launch due to disappointing sales. Additionally, several other anticipated GAAS (Games as a Service) titles have been canceled, including projects from renowned studios like Naughty Dog, Firesprite, and Insomniac. More recently, initiatives from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games were also halted.
Bend Studio’s Struggles in the Live Service Shift
Among the studios impacted by Sony’s shift to live service games, Bend Studio appears to have faced the most difficult challenges. Recently, Bloomberg revealed the cancellation of two unannounced live service projects from the studio, one being a military shooter and the other a GAAS title linked to the God of War franchise, created by Bluepoint Games. According to the report, these cancellations followed a comprehensive review and Sony confirmed it would collaborate with the studios to explore future projects, emphasizing that they would remain operational.
The Long Road and Recent Developments
Despite the reassurance of continued operations, the path forward for Bend Studio is fraught with setbacks. The studio, once prolific with titles such as the Syphon Filter series and Uncharted spin-offs, has struggled to release any new games since Days Gone, launched in 2019. Although that year might seem recent, it marks a significant almost six years without new titles.
Frequent Project Cancellations at Bend Studio
The lengthy development cycle of modern games exemplifies Bend Studio’s plight. Usually, AAA titles can take around four to five years to develop, yet Bend has not seen any game launches or announcements in over six years. Reports suggest that other projects have been in development but canceled, raising questions about their future. Allegations surfaced in 2021 regarding the cancellation of an unannounced Uncharted game and a sequel to Days Gone, with plans for a new IP taking precedence but ultimately also being scrapped.
The ramifications of these decisions are profound, affecting morale and creative output. It’s understandably disheartening for the team at Bend Studio to see their years of dedication culminate in canceled projects. If this trend continues, it raises the unsettling prospect that Bend Studio may not release any new titles during the entire PlayStation 5 era.
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