Bend Studio Unveils Future Content Plans Post-Sony Live Service Cancellation

Bend Studio, the developer behind Days Gone, assures fans they'll continue creating exciting new projects despite Sony's cancellation of their unannounced live-service game. This follows Sony's recent decision to scrap two unannounced live-service titles, one reportedly a God of War game from Bluepoint Games, and another from Bend Studio, whose specifics remain undisclosed.

While Sony confirmed the cancellations, emphasizing that neither studio will be shut down and future projects are being planned, the company's foray into live-service gaming has faced significant challenges. The success of Arrowhead's Helldivers 2, a record-breaking PlayStation Studios title, stands in stark contrast to other ventures. The disastrous launch and subsequent closure of Concord, described as one of PlayStation's biggest failures, highlights the risks involved. This follows the earlier cancellation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer project. Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida even voiced his reservations about Sony's aggressive push into the live-service market.

Bend Studio's community manager, Kevin McAllister, offered reassurance to fans via Twitter, stating their commitment to future development. Bend Studio's last release was Days Gone in 2019 (PC release in 2021).

Sony's financial call shed light on the lessons learned from both Helldivers 2's triumph and Concord's failure. Sony's president, Hiroki Totoki, attributed Concord's downfall to insufficient early user testing and internal evaluation, as well as organizational silos and an unfortunate release window coinciding with Black Myth: Wukong. He emphasized the need for earlier checkpoints and improved inter-departmental collaboration to avoid future conflicts. Sadahiko Hayakawa, Sony's senior vice president for finance and IR, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the valuable lessons learned from both successes and failures, which will be shared across studios. Sony plans a balanced approach, combining its strengths in single-player titles with calculated risks in the live-service sector.

Despite these setbacks, several PlayStation live-service games are still under development, including Bungie's Marathon, Guerrilla's Horizon Online, and Haven Studio's Fairgame$.