Title: Has 'Concord' Shaken Sony's Confidence in Its PlayStation Live Service Plans?

Title: Has 'Concord' Shaken Sony's Confidence in Its PlayStation Live Service Plans?

This week, reports emerged about Sony cancelling two more live service games. The unfortunate fate befalls Bluepoint's God of War multiplayer project and an unannounced live title from Bend Studio. This unfortunate turn of events serves as a stark reminder of the failures that have left a trail in Sony's live-service ambitions, such as The Last of Us Online and Spider-Man: The Great Web.

The colossal flop of Concord, once hailed as a significant new IP for PlayStation, has seemingly forced Sony to reassess each live-service project in the works. Insider Jeff Grubb claimed that the decline of Concord has compelled Sony to reexamine every game-as-a-service project on their plate, leading to the recent cancellations of unannounced titles.

It's worth reminding people that the early reports suggested that Sony had placed high hopes on Concord, with elaborate plans, narratives, and even an Amazon Prime Video collaboration. Sadly, the game's failure to garner a substantial following, evidenced by its struggles to even break 700 concurrent players on Steam, led to its demise.

It's not a secret that the issues plaguing Concord may have already existed prior to its release. The Last of Us Online required years of development, ultimately culminating in its cancellation, delaying beloved single-player projects like Part 3 and the Intergalactic. Spider-Man 2 also launched minus The Great Web, a feature that was originally intended to be a core part of the launch plan.

Now, Guerilla Games is working on a Horizon Zero Dawn live-service project, making it the fourth major single-player franchise to attempt the leap into the live-service genre. However, as history has shown, such attempts have not fared well. Factions from The Last of Us and Ghost of Tsushima's Legends Mode are exceptions, having been successful despite not adhering to the “live service” formula that has proven disastrous in other instances.

The upcoming Bungie project, Marathon, is one of Sony's most anticipated launches in 2025, with the studio renowned for its exceptional gunplay. This, however, will not make it an exclusive Sony venture, as part of the acquisition deal dictates that Bungie's games will be fully third-party, meaning availability on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox.

Marathon has all the makings of a mega-hit, but only time will tell if it can carve out a superior niche within the precarious world of live-service gaming or become another low on the list of disappointing attempts.

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Despite the challenges in the live-service genre, Sony continues to invest in it, with Guerilla Games working on a live service project for Horizon Zero Dawn. Interestingly, Sony's upcoming Bungie project, Marathon, while highly anticipated, will not be an exclusive PlayStation title due to the acquisition deal's third-party stipulations.

In light of the underperformance of PlayStation exclusive live-service titles like Concord and The Last of Us Online, it's no surprise that Sony is reassessing each project in this genre.

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