Sony Interactive Entertainment president Hideaki Nishino has stated that the company has not abandoned its pursuit of live-service games, despite a series of high-profile cancellations and underperforming titles. Nishino emphasized that Sony still views live-service games as a key method for attracting a global audience and intends to continue investing in both first-party and third-party content within this genre.
"With live service games, it's important to continuously provide something," Nishino explained in an interview with Famitsu. "The genre itself is relatively new, and I think many people are trying various things, so we also want to continue to take on challenges within that context." He also indicated a strategy that looks beyond new releases, considering the long-term potential of existing titles and planning to release its own live-service game, Marvel's T.O.N. (Fighting Souls), this year.
This commitment follows a period where several of Sony's live-service projects have encountered difficulties. London Studio's co-op game was canceled, leading to the studio's closure in 2024. Naughty Dog also canceled a multiplayer component for The Last of Us in 2023, and a live-service Twisted Metal project at Firespite met a similar fate. Additionally, footage of Insomniac's canceled Marvel's Spider-Man: The Great Web surfaced, and Horizon: Call of the Mountain's multiplayer component was reportedly also canceled. More recently, Concord, developed by Firewalk Studios, was pulled from sale shortly after its release due to reportedly low sales, with the studio eventually being shut down. These events occurred as Bungie, a studio owned by Sony, also underwent significant layoffs.
Nishino's comments come at a time when the live-service model faces scrutiny within the industry. The inherent challenge, as Nishino noted, lies in the genre's evolving nature and the constant need to deliver new content to maintain player engagement over extended periods. Sony's renewed focus suggests a belief that the challenges can be overcome with strategic development and continued investment.