Sony finds itself navigating turbulent waters after its ambitious plan to launch 12 game services by 2025 fell through. The company's recent decision to cancel nine of these projects has left many players feeling frustrated and disappointed.
In 2022, Jim Ryan, who was the president of Sony Interactive Entertainment at the time, unveiled the company's strategy to introduce 12 game services by 2025. This move was intended to adapt to the evolving landscape of the gaming industry. However, the announcement was met with skepticism from gamers who feared that Sony might be shifting its focus away from the beloved single-player experiences. Despite assurances from Sony that it would continue to prioritize such projects, the reality has proven otherwise.
It has now come to light that nine out of the twelve planned projects have been scrapped. While Helldivers 2 has been a resounding success, attracting millions of players, other projects like Concord and Payback have been shut down. Additionally, highly anticipated titles such as The Last of Us: Factions, Spider-Man: The Great Web, and a game set in the God of War universe, which was being developed by Bluepoint Games, have also been canceled.
Here's Sony's list of canceled games:
- Concord (failed to meet expectations)
- God of War by Bluepoint Games
- Bend Studio's multiplayer game
- The Last of Us: Factions
- Spider-Man: The Great Web by Insomniac Games
- Twisted Metal by Firesprite
- Unannounced fantasy game from London Studio
- Payback by Bungie
- Networking project from Deviation Games
The majority of the canceled projects were integral to Sony's bold strategy to penetrate the games-as-a-service market. Fans have voiced their discontent, arguing that the company became too enamored with the trend and lost sight of its core strengths. As a result, projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games are now facing delays of several years at the very least.
