PlayStation CEO and President Hideaki Nishino recently made comments that recommit the company to its live service efforts. These comments couldn’t have been more poorly timed, as they happened the same week that Sony laid off hundreds of developers at Bungie, the studio behind Destiny 2 and Marathon.
Nishino made these comments in an interview with Famitsu that was translated by Wccftech. “We believe that live service games are content that attracts users on a global level, so we want to continue to revitalize the market through both first-party and third-party content,” he explained, before going on to highlight how focus will be split between older titles and new ones like Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls.
He went on to state that, “With live service games, it’s important to continuously provide something. 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.”
PlayStation has had a tumultuous experience with live service games this decade. It did find success with Helldivers 2, but almost every other live service game has underperformed or failed to meet expectations. Sci-fi hero shooter Concord famously lasted only two weeks before being shut down, while live service games in the God of War and The Last of Us franchises were canceled mid-development.
Sony acquired Bungie in 2022 to bolster its live service development capabilities, but Destiny 2 saw its player count decline post-acquisition, and Marathon has fallen short of expectations despite garnering a warmer reception. Sony ended support for Destiny 2 earlier in June and laid off hundreds of developers who were working on that game earlier this week as a result.
That’s why Nishino’s comments come off as tone-deaf. Sony has actively let go of hundreds of talented live service developers and generally has a bad track record with this style of game. Yet, it still wants to try to capture lightning in a bottle with a live service hit. As of now, its live service games in development include fighting game Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, co-op spin-off Horizon Hunters Gathering, shooter Fairgame$, and a mysterious project from new studio Team LFG.