Sony canceled Fairgames game

Sony canceled the heist-themed game Fairgames, which was announced in 2023. According to Bloomberg, the decision was made after the final test conducted by developer Haven Studios. However, there will be no layoffs at the studio.

The result of the Fairgames test

In the executive note published by Bloomberg, it is stated that player feedback during the testing process and the results of staying in the game were mixed. Moreover, the note also says that these results are below the set targets. For this reason, the project was shelved. In other words, the game did not attract the expected attention during the testing phase.

Difficult market conditions in the PVP shooter genre were cited as one of the reasons for the decision. Because it is not easy to keep actors of this type for a long time. Therefore, their survival rate in the game was decisive for the future of the project.

Sony acquired Haven Studios in 2022. But the team will not disband. Studio staff will now support other PlayStation studios. Thus, the cancellation decision did not lead to dismissal.

Fairgames and live service plans

Fairgames was part of Sony's larger live service game plan for PlayStation. The company has already abandoned part of that plan. For example, some live service games in the God of War and The Last of Us series were canceled. Concord, on the other hand, was closed immediately after its unsuccessful debut.

There is also a working example on Sony's live service side: Helldivers 2, which can also be played on Xbox. On the other hand, Bungie's game Marathon, released this year, had a rough start. The studio also showed off the new features that will come with the December update. These include a co-op PvE roguelite mode and a PvP deathmatch mode.

next step

Sony is also developing a spin-off game in the Horizon universe that operates on a live service model. The company recently rebuilt this project. Therefore, the live service strategy has not been completely abandoned.

Marathon's December update appears to be the next concrete step on PlayStation's live service front after Fairgames. In particular, the new co-op PvE roguelite mode and PvP deathmatch mode will show the course of the game.