Sony Abandons Nine Games Amidst Fan Outcry

Sony's ambitious games-as-a-service strategy falters, resulting in significant project cancellations. The company's 2022 announcement of twelve planned game services by 2025 has met with a significant setback, with nine projects recently scrapped. This decision has sparked considerable backlash from gamers.

Jim Ryan's initial announcement, aimed at adapting to the evolving gaming landscape, was met with skepticism from a segment of the gaming community concerned about a potential shift away from single-player titles. Despite assurances to the contrary, Sony has now confirmed the cancellation of nine of the twelve anticipated projects.

While Helldivers 2 achieved success, notable casualties include Concord, Payback, The Last of Us: Factions, Spider-Man: The Great Web, and a God of War title under development by Bluepoint Games.

Cancelled Sony Games:

• Concord: Failed to meet expectations.
• God of War (Bluepoint Games): Development halted.
• Bend Studio's Multiplayer Game: Project terminated.
• The Last of Us: Factions: Cancelled.
• Spider-Man: The Great Web (Insomniac Games): No longer in development.
• Twisted Metal (Firesprite): Development ceased.
• Unannounced Fantasy Game (London Studio): Project cancelled.
• Payback (Bungie): Development discontinued.
• Networking Project (Deviation Games): Project scrapped.

The majority of these cancelled projects were integral to Sony's push into the games-as-a-service market. The response from gamers has been largely negative, with many expressing disappointment and suggesting Sony prioritized trends over its established strengths. Projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games, in particular, face considerable delays.