While Sony has slowed down on some of its active live service game projects, cancelling a good number of them after acquiring Bungie, the company isn't bowing out of this market entirely yet. Concord's failure was not the final nail in the coffin, as confirmed by PlayStation's co-CEO, Herman Hulst.
In a recent interview with Famitsu, Hulst confirmed that despite the disappointing launch of Concord in late August, Sony was still thoroughly impressed by Helldivers 2 this year, despite the PC-PSN controversy that kicked off shortly after the game came out. While Concord was a huge waste of money, Helldivers 2 was worth every dollar spent. Due to the upside, Sony still has plans to continue developing live-service games.
“The gaming industry is ever-evolving. While adapting to changes, we remain committed to delivering exceptional entertainment. HELLDIVERS 2 proved the potential of live-service games. We’re also enhancing mobile experiences, collaborating with studios like NetEase Games to develop titles like Destiny: Rising.”
With future live service games, Hulst also confirmed that Sony will continue to focus on cross-platform games, particularly between PC and PS5: “Live-service games thrive on cross-platform availability, broadening player bases and sustaining momentum. While single-player titles bolster the PlayStation ecosystem, expanding to PC and beyond allows us to reach more players.”
KitGuru Says: So far Sony has missed on a few of these projects and upset fans with a few cancellations, with The Last of Us Factions being the biggest example. Hopefully moving forward, Sony will be a bit more selective with these projects, rather than casting such a wide net. Under Jim Ryan, Sony had over a dozen live-service games in development at first-party studios, which is far too many.