PlayStation Platform Holder Sony This generation has produced some solid games, but it has also suffered from some disastrous fumbles. The company has made a number of unpopular choices over the past few years, including a recent and shocking increase in the price of the PS5, and no PS5 exclusive has really succeeded to the same degree. consent failed
But among Sony's most infamous missteps of the decade, its enthusiastic pursuit of Direct Services is its most egregious. Former Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan spearheaded an initiative to launch 12 live-service games by 2026, which worried consumers who love the PlayStation for its strong single-player titles. Of course, the initiative has been scaled back — it's now 2026, and the PS5 has only received two first-party live-streams, not 12 — but it hasn't come without its consequences. In fact, pulling back on live-service games is probably the right decision for Sony, even if changing tracks involves some sad sacrifices.
Worst decision of the PS5 era
The PlayStation 5 has done pretty well for itself, but it hasn't been without its controversies, which have kept the console from being truly great.
Studios that Sony (presumably) closed because of its live-services mission
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Firewalk Studio
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London Studio
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Neon Koi
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Bluepoint Games
Sony has closed some development houses in recent years, and much of that can be attributed at least in part to the company's live-service missteps. Of course, we have the ill-fated Firewalk Studio, the creator consentPurchased by Sony in 2023, it closes just two months later in 2024. consent was deprived. consent was the studio's first and only release. It closed with Neon Koi, another Sony subsidiary that was developing live-service mobile games.
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Another Sony-owned studio closed in 2024, though it was much taller. The London studio was founded in 2022 as Sony Interactive Entertainment London before changing its name in 2016. SingStar and Gateway franchises, though it was working on a codenamed live-service action game Camden Before it closes. Of course, this closure was part of a broader round that Sony was conducting at the time, but the fact remains that Camden Rather than transfer to another studio it was scrapped that the game's abolition coincided with the studio's abolition.
Finally, we have Bluepoint Games, a franchise that, for my money, is the most surprising of them all. Bluepoint mainly developed remakes, which are widely considered to be the best of their kind. This is especially true for Shadow of the Colossus (2018) and Demon spirits (2020), which both earned rave reviews for being faithful recreations of their respective source material. Bluepoint was said to be working on A god of war the live-service game, which Bloomberg reported was canceled in 2025; Sony announced the closure of Bluepoint in February 2026. Again, Sony has not explicitly linked BluePoint's closure to the defunct. god of war In a live-service game, it's hard to imagine that it didn't at least play a role in the decision.
The same can be said of Sony's other studios, such as Dark Outlaw Games and Japan Studios, whose doors have been closed this decade as well. While these studios were not reported to be working on direct services, the money-hemorrhaging associated with scrapping many development games may have indirectly led to their demise. At the very least, Sony may have pegged these studios as “weak links” ready to trim to recoup some losses.
Live-service games have been canceled by Sony in the PS5 era
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Bend Studios Live Service
- Twisted metal Direct service
- The last of us Direct service
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Spider-Man: The Great Web (Insomniac Spider Man direct service)
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London Studio Live Service
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Neon Koi Direct Service
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Bungie's code-name Operating Payments
- god of war Direct service
- consent
- Destruction AllStars
- Camden
As previously mentioned, several individual games were either canceled or taken offline as part of Sony's studio-calling: Camden, consentNeon Koi direct-serve, and god of war The live-services were all canceled with their respective studios or shortly before. Many live services have closed independent of their development teams, including Destructive AllStarsIt was delisted in May 2026. Make no mistake, Sony's live-service countdown is still on.
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Thinking about cases like BluePoint Games', the cancellation of so many live-service titles seems particularly unsettling. After all, Bluepoint was considered safe as early as 2024, when the news broke god of war The game was cancelled, only to be closed after a year. Giants like Insomniac and Naughty Dog won't be closing as a result of their cancellation. Spider Man and the last of us Live Service games, but the same can be said for Bend Studios or the likes Destruction AllStars Manufacturer lucid game? The bungee was discarded Operating Payments (Which was widely speculated Fate 3) and proceeded MarathonBut if that game doesn't pan out in the long run, then maybe Bungie won't be safe either.
On a personal note, I'm conflicted about Sony's backpedaling in this space. On the one hand, live-service games are pretty bad for the industry, and I definitely prefer the new single-player. god of war above a god of war Direct service. If more resources find their way into such single-player games as a result of killing the aforementioned live services, that's great. But at the same time, the idea that talented teams like BluePoint Games and London Studios are being put out to pasture because of Sony's misguided live-services chase is incredibly disappointing. It's not for me to say whether these closures are good business or not, but they certainly feel pointless, and we may never know what great games the likes of Bluepoint would have made, had they survived this purgatory.
