Bend Studio Vows to Keep Creating 'Cool Stuff' Post-Sony Live Service Cancellation

The developer behind the acclaimed game Days Gone, Bend Studio, has reassured fans that they are not slowing down despite the recent cancellation of their unannounced live-service project by parent company Sony. Last week, Sony pulled the plug on two unannounced live-service games, one from Bend Studio and another from Bluepoint Games, which was rumored to be a live-service spin on the popular God of War franchise, according to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier. The specifics of Bend Studio’s project remain undisclosed.

A Sony spokesperson confirmed these cancellations to Bloomberg, emphasizing that neither studio would be shut down and that they would collaborate to explore future projects. Sony's venture into the live-service gaming arena has encountered significant hurdles. While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 achieved remarkable success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks and becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, other live-service endeavors have faltered or been outright canceled.

Notably, Sony's Concord faced a disastrous launch and was quickly taken offline due to low player engagement, eventually leading to its total cancellation and the closure of its developer. This follows the earlier cancellation of Naughty Dog's ambitious The Last of Us multiplayer project. Reflecting on these developments, former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida expressed that he would have pushed back against Sony’s live-service focus if he were in the current CEO Hermen Hulst's shoes.

In response to the cancellations, Bend Studio's community manager, Kevin McAllister, took to social media to thank fans for their support and hinted at future projects, stating, “Thanks for the love and support everyone, especially to those that have reached out. P.S. We still plan on creating cool shit.” This message underscores the studio's commitment to continue innovating and creating engaging content, following their last release, Days Gone, which debuted on PlayStation 4 in 2019 and later on PC in 2021.

During a recent financial call, Sony president, COO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki reflected on the lessons learned from the contrasting fortunes of Helldivers 2 and Concord. Totoki admitted that Sony should have implemented earlier development checkpoints, such as user testing and internal evaluations, to identify and address issues with Concord before its launch. He also criticized Sony's "siloed organization" and the timing of Concord's release, which coincided with the launch of the successful Black Myth: Wukong, potentially leading to market cannibalization.

Totoki emphasized the need for better cross-organizational collaboration and strategic timing of game releases to avoid future pitfalls. In the same call, Sony senior vice president for finance and IR, Sadahiko Hayakawa, highlighted the contrasting outcomes of Helldivers 2 and Concord, stating that the lessons from these launches would be disseminated across Sony's studios to enhance development management and post-launch content strategies.

Hayakawa outlined Sony's intention to build a balanced portfolio of titles, combining their strengths in single-player games, which have proven successful due to established IPs, with live-service games that, despite their higher risk, offer potential for significant returns. Looking ahead, several PlayStation live-service projects remain in development, including Bungie's Marathon, Guerrilla's Horizon Online, and Haven Studio's Fairgame$.