Last year, PlayStation announced its plans to push into the live service games market, promising to ship around 10 games-as-a-service titles by 2026. According to a new report, some shake-ups are happening at Sony with the company reportedly reversing its live service games push.
According to ResetEra user Head on the Block, who seems to have close connections to sources at Sony, PlayStation is scaling back several planned live service games in order to let its first-party studios pivot towards its stronger single-player projects again. The leaker also claimed that many studios were forced into making live service games. We don’t know how true this is so take it with a grain of salt, though it makes sense that PlayStation’s studios would feel indifferent about suddenly making multiplayer games, especially if they’re known for single-player titles.
READ MORE – From Software is Recruiting for Multiple New Projects
The leaker added that Sega could be developing a new WipeOut game for Sony, though it will be several years before we hear anything about it. However, the crux of their discussion is that Sony is using some third-party exclusivity deals (like Final Fantasy) to catch up on IPs while it works to “reverse course” on its live service plans.
While single-player games continue to roll out at a steady pace from PlayStation – we just saw the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – we also know a handful of live service projects that Sony has already revealed. This includes Bungie’s revived shooter Marathon and Naughty Dog’s standalone multiplayer game for The Last of Us. Others include potential multiplayer games being developed at Guerrilla Games and Insomniac Games as well.
The timing seems oddly coincidental as current Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan announced that he’d be retiring in January 2024. Ryan is reportedly believed to have been behind Sony’s divisive push into live service.
If this rumour turns out to be true, then we may see official statements appear over the next few months either detailing development changes, cancellations or other news that could be related to the company’s sudden change of heart.
Source: ResetEra
