forbes.com
Sony Cancels Live-Service Games After Costly Concord Failure
Sony cancelled two unannounced live-service games following the massive failure of its Concord title, prompting a reevaluation of its live-service strategy and impacting projects across various studios, raising concerns about the future of this approach within the company.
- What is the immediate impact of Concord's failure on Sony's gaming strategy?
- Sony recently cancelled two unannounced live-service games, adding to a string of failures including the high-profile flop, Concord, which reportedly cost hundreds of millions of dollars and lasted only two weeks post-launch. This has prompted Sony to re-evaluate its entire live-service strategy, impacting projects across multiple studios.
- How do the cancelled live-service games, including those from established franchises, illustrate broader issues within Sony's live-service approach?
- Concord's failure, marked by fewer than 700 concurrent Steam players at launch, exposed significant risks in Sony's live-service approach. The cancellations demonstrate a shift away from this model, particularly for established single-player franchises like God of War and Horizon, previously slated for live-service adaptations. This contrasts with successful examples like The Last of Us Factions and Ghost of Tsushima Legends, which were standalone multiplayer additions rather than fully-fledged live-service games.
- What are the long-term implications of Sony's apparent shift away from large-scale live-service projects, and what role does Bungie's Marathon play in their future plans?
- Sony's future in live-service gaming is uncertain. While the upcoming Bungie title, Marathon, presents a potential turning point, its multi-platform release diminishes PlayStation's exclusive advantage. The company's current trajectory suggests a retreat from ambitious, high-budget live-service projects in favor of a more cautious, potentially less expansive approach.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The narrative frames Sony's shift away from live-service games primarily as a reaction to Concord's failure. While Concord's failure is a significant event, the article emphasizes this single point excessively, potentially downplaying other contributing factors. The headline (assuming a headline similar to the title provided) reinforces this framing. The repeated emphasis on Concord's failure shapes the reader's interpretation towards a simplistic cause-and-effect relationship.
Language Bias
The language used is generally neutral, though terms like "nuclear bomb obliterating faith" and "biggest video game failures of all time" are emotionally charged. While descriptive, they lean towards hyperbole and could be replaced with more measured language like "significant setback" or "substantial financial losses".
Bias by Omission
The analysis focuses heavily on Concord's failure as the primary reason for Sony's shift in live-service strategy. While mentioning other cancelled projects like The Last of Us Online and Spider-Man: The Great Web, it lacks detail on the specific reasons for their cancellations, potentially omitting factors beyond the impact of Concord. The piece also doesn't explore potential market factors or broader industry trends contributing to the challenges of live-service games. Additionally, perspectives from Sony or developers involved in these projects are absent, limiting a complete understanding of the decision-making processes.
False Dichotomy
The article presents a false dichotomy by framing the success of live-service games as solely dependent on the "live service" format, contrasting it with the success of standalone multiplayer modes. It oversimplifies the complexities involved, ignoring potential factors such as game design, marketing, and player engagement that contribute to success regardless of the format. The implication that all live-service games are inherently more expensive and harder to sell than standalone multiplayer modes is a generalization.
Sustainable Development Goals
The cancellation of multiple live-service game projects by Sony represents a significant financial loss and impacts job security within the game development industry. The large-scale investment in these projects, followed by their cancellation, demonstrates considerable economic risk in the live-service game market and affects employment for developers and related personnel.