Bend Cuts Contractors Following Live Service Game Cancelation

Abstract

Sony canceled reside service initiatives, resulting in layoffs at Bend Studio.
Former SIE co-CEO elevated to sole CEO; Sony reevaluating reside service video games.
Sony’s reside service ambitions might have decreased with latest cancellations.

Two weeks in the past, phrase received out that Sony canceled two unannounced reside service initiatives from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Video games. This report was one thing Sony confirmed, the place a spokesperson additionally shared they’re figuring out the studios’ new initiatives to “guarantee there may be minimal enterprise influence.”

It appears the primary influence from the cancelations are being felt now, as a brand new report has surfaced stating that job cuts are underway at Bend Studio.

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Bend Studio Hit With Layoffs On account of Canceled Dwell Service Mission

In accordance with GameDeveloper, a number of designers that had been engaged on the unannounced challenge have revealed they had been both let go, or will likely be laid off after February 14, 2025. Most of those builders had been a part of Bend Studio’s degree and system design groups, with one developer stating that Bend “made the choice to prematurely rescind all ongoing contracts aside from a choose few that will likely be employed full time.”

It is not recognized how many individuals had been affected, and Sony has but to touch upon the layoffs as of press time.

With the success of Helldivers 2, it was a bit comprehensible why Sony pushed onerous for extra reside service video games. Nevertheless, with the large failure of Harmony that noticed its developer shutdown,and Sony’s president even commenting on how extra checks had been wanted with the intention to guarantee nothing prefer it occurs once more, it appears Sony’s reside service mania has cooled considerably.

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Earlier in the present day, Sony introduced that former Sony Interactive Leisure co-CEO Hideaki Noshino has been elevated to be the only CEO of the division. Earlier than that, Noshino was the co-CEO together with former Guerrilla Video games boss Herman Hulst.

In an interview, former Sony PlayStation president Shuhei Yoshida talked about that Hulst was the one pushing for extra reside service initiatives at Sony. This was one thing Yoshida was towards from the beginning, and his reasoning for it made a whole lot of sense.

Given how new Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki appears to desire a tighter leash on issues, and the latest reside service challenge cancelations, I would say Sony’s reside service ambitions might need taken a backseat for now.

Thus far, there are two recognized reside service initiatives at Sony: one primarily based on the Horizon franchise, and Bungie’s Marathon.