Sony Interactive Entertainment has made a decision that has not gone unnoticed in the world of video games: the development of two games as a service has been cancelled. One of these projects belonged to none other than the popular franchise God of War and was being developed by Bluepoint Games. This news comes at a time when the company is re-evaluating its strategy in this market, known for being highly competitive and high risk.
During the last years, Sony has bet heavily on online gaming, with the intention of releasing multiple titles of this type before March 2026. However, this vision has collided head-on with reality, as several projects have been cancelled. This time, in addition to the game of God of War, another title that was in development at Bend Studio, the studio responsible for the well-known Days Gone.
A blow to plans for games as a service
Sony had previously announced its intention to position itself in the games-as-a-service sector with an ambitious plan that included up to 12 projects. However, after several internal reviews, this number was significantly reduced due to the difficulties found along the way. For now, only a handful of these titles remain in development.
Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier was one of the first to reveal this information. According to his statements, Bluepoint Games' cancelled project was a multiplayer game set in the universe of God of War. This development had begun after the end of Bluepoint's collaboration with Santa Monica Studio in God of War: Ragnarok. The cancellation of this title is a big blow, not only for fans of the franchise, but also for Sony, which had placed high hopes on its success.
Reasons behind cancellations
A Sony spokesperson has noted that these cancellations are due to a «recent internal review». Despite this, the company has confirmed that both Bluepoint Games and Bend Studio will continue to operate and that work is underway to define the next projects for both. This includes possible new initiatives that continue to strengthen their reputation as part of the PlayStation Studios family.
The decision to cancel these games also reflects the complicated landscape of games as a service. Although titles like Helldivers II have achieved some success, other projects, such as Concordhave failed miserably. These results have made it clear that Not all games in this format manage to attract the desired audience..
The impact on studies
Fortunately, Sony has assured that none of the studios involved will close their doors. This news has been welcomed, as it avoids a potential wave of layoffs that could have negatively affected many developers. However, it is unknown whether this change of course will have other consequencesas the cuts in team size or budget adjustments for future projects.
In the case of Bluepoint Games, this studio was acquired by Sony in 2021 and is known for its work on remakes and remasters, such as Demon's Souls. Since then, Fans have been speculating about the studio's next big project., but the cancellation of the title of God of War leaves an uncertain future for the team.
For its part, Bend Studio had been working on a new intellectual property that promised innovations in the open-world genre, but its cancellation also raises questions about the studio's future direction.
What's next for Sony and gaming as a service?
Despite these setbacks, Sony doesn't seem to be moving away from games as a serviceBungie's $2022 billion acquisition in 3.600 underscores its commitment to this business model. Bungie is currently developing Marathon, a multiplayer shooter expected in 2025, and there are also rumors of a game of Destiny for mobile.
In addition, other projects such as an MMO based on the saga Horizon and the shooter Fairgame$ are still in development, which shows that Sony is still betting on to diversify its catalog. These initiatives seek to balance the risks inherent in games as a service with Sony's traditional focus on single-player titles, a field where it has a more consolidated reputation.
The cancellation of these two games as a service marks a complicated chapter in Sony's strategy, which has invested billions in this business modelHowever, it also opens the door to a possible restructuring and learning of key lessons in a market which demands impeccable execution to succeed.