Sony cancels online shooter Fairgames — The Verge

Sony has canceled development of Fairgames, a heist game announced in 2023. As The Verge reports, citing Bloomberg, the decision was made after recent testing of the project.

Testing results

An excerpt from an internal management memo published by Bloomberg states that player feedback and audience retention metrics were mixed and did not meet the established targets. Difficult market conditions in the PvP shooter segment were also cited among the factors behind the decision.

According to Bloomberg, the cancellation of Fairgames will not result in staff layoffs. Haven Studios developers will continue supporting other PlayStation studios. Sony acquired Haven Studios in 2022.

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Plans for live-service games

Fairgames was part of Sony's large-scale plans for live-service games for PlayStation. The company had previously canceled separate planned live-service projects in the God of War and The Last of Us franchises, and also shut down Concord shortly after its unsuccessful launch.

At the same time, Sony has a successful live-service project, Helldivers 2, which is also available on Xbox. Bungie's Marathon, released this year, had a difficult start, but the studio announced a December update featuring a cooperative roguelite PvE mode and a PvP deathmatch mode. Sony is also developing a live-service spin-off of the Horizon series, but recently rebooted the project.