Industry Insider Reveals Sony’s Response to Concord Flop
Recent reports indicate that Sony Interactive Entertainment has canceled live service projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games. According to industry insider Jeff Grubb on the Game Mess Decides podcast, the blame falls on Concord.
Reassessing Every Project
Grubb explained that the cancellation of Bend Studios and Bluepoint Games’ live service games is directly related to Concord’s troubled launch, where servers went offline just two weeks after release. He further revealed that Sony is now “reassessing every single project” in light of this incident, with a focus on scrutinizing their current live service lineup.
Grubb stated, “This happened because of Concord, like this should be clear, that’s what I’ve been told.” He added, “Sony is shell-shocked from Concord, and now they’re going around to every studio and they’re reassessing every single project, and if it’s a live-service project, it has a lot of friction going against it preventing it from getting a chance to actually come out.”
He continued, “And it is almost certain that they won’t be able to get a greenlight on a live service project, and they know that.”
Impact on Developers
While PlayStation players may see this as positive news, it presents challenges for developers. Under Sony’s live service initiative, studios had a clear path to funding. With the shift in focus, securing funding for more traditional projects may prove to be more difficult.
Prior to the cancellations, Bluepoint Games was working on a God of War multiplayer game, while details about Bend Studio’s project remain undisclosed. Sony has confirmed that they are collaborating with both studios to determine their next steps. While the avoidance of studio closures is encouraging, it could mean a delay in new releases from these studios until the next generation.
(Source: Jeff Grubb’s Game Mess)