Two more unannounced PlayStation live-service games have been canceled, this time from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games.
As reported by Bloomberg, a company spokesperson confirmed that the projects were canceled “following a recent review.” It’s unknown what Bend Studio’s game was, but Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reports that Bluepoint was working on a live-service entry in the God of War franchise. PlayStation hasn’t stated whether or not any layoffs will come from these new closures, but has said that neither studio will be shut down as it works closely with both teams to “determine what are the next projects.”
It’s been a long time since we got a new game from Bend Studio or Bluepoint Games. Bend’s last project, Days Gone, was released in 2019, and in 2021 the team announced that its next game would be a new IP. The most recent title that Bluepoint released was the Demon’s Souls remake that launched alongside the PlayStation 5 in 2020.
This past November, PlayStation stated its intent to continue working on live-service games in addition to their single-player games after the high-profile failure of Concord and the closure of its developer Firewalk Studios, but I’ve continued to hold reservations about those plans. These latest cancelations don’t give me any optimism about the company’s live-service ambitions. Rather, they continue to make me worry about the direction the company has been going this generation and lament the time and money wasted on a course of action that wasn’t worth the risk.
TheComfySpot 