Bend Cuts Contractors Following Live Service Game Cancelation

Summary

Sony canceled live service projects, leading to layoffs at Bend Studio.
Former SIE co-CEO elevated to sole CEO; Sony reevaluating live service games.
Sony’s live service ambitions may have decreased with recent cancellations.

Two weeks ago, word got out that Sony canceled two unannounced live service projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games. This report was something Sony confirmed, where a spokesperson also shared they are determining the studios’ new projects to “ensure there is minimal business impact.”

It seems the first impact from the cancelations are being felt now, as a new report has surfaced stating that job cuts are underway at Bend Studio.

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Bend Studio Hit With Layoffs Due to Canceled Live Service Project

According to GameDeveloper, several designers that were working on the unannounced project have revealed they were either let go, or will be laid off after February 14, 2025. Most of these developers were part of Bend Studio’s level and system design teams, with one developer stating that Bend “made the decision to prematurely rescind all ongoing contracts except for a select few that will be hired full time.”

It’s not known how many people were affected, and Sony has yet to comment on the layoffs as of press time.

With the success of Helldivers 2, it was a bit understandable why Sony pushed hard for more live service games. However, with the massive failure of Concord that saw its developer shutdown,and Sony’s president even commenting on how more checks were needed in order to ensure nothing like it happens again, it seems Sony’s live service mania has cooled somewhat.

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Earlier today, Sony announced that former Sony Interactive Entertainment co-CEO Hideaki Noshino has been elevated to be the sole CEO of the division. Before that, Noshino was the co-CEO along with former Guerrilla Games boss Herman Hulst.

In an interview, former Sony PlayStation president Shuhei Yoshida mentioned that Hulst was the one pushing for more live service projects at Sony. This was something Yoshida was against from the start, and his reasoning for it made a lot of sense.

Given how new Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki seems to want a tighter leash on things, and the recent live service project cancelations, I’d say Sony’s live service ambitions might have taken a backseat for now.

To date, there are two known live service projects at Sony: one based on the Horizon franchise, and Bungie’s Marathon.