PlayStation cancels several unannounced projects amid heavy layoffs and a studio closure: “Sometimes, great ideas don’t become great games”

PlayStation London’s online game being the most obvious cancellation

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Update:Reports from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreierindicatethat a live service Twisted Metal game previously in development at developer Firesprite was also canceled as part of this layoff wave. The reboot wasfirst reportedin 2022.

Original story:

As itlays off around 900 people across Sony’s stable of studios, including cuts atNaughty Dog,Insomniac, and the entirety of now-defunct PlayStation London, PlayStation Studios is also canning multiple unannounced projects.

PlayStation discussed the layoffs in two separate blog posts, with onesharinga company-wide email sent by outgoing CEO Jim Ryan this morning, andanotherfrom PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst outlining more of the reasoning behind the layoffs as well as the resulting effects. In the latter, Hulst says “we looked at our studios and our portfolio, evaluating projects in various stages of development, and have decided that some of those projects will not move forward.

“I want to be clear that the decision to stop work on these projects is not a reflection on the talent or passion of team members,” he continues. “Our philosophy has always been to allow creative experimentation. Sometimes, great ideas don’t become great games. Sometimes, a project is started with the best intentions before shifts within the market or industry result in a change of plan.”

With PlayStation London hit hardest and totally shuttered, we can safely cross off at least one of these unannounced projects: thelive service “online co-op combat game” announced for PS5in 2022 (concept art pictured above). This mystery online game was described as an uncharacteristically normal project for a studio known for off-beat creations like EyeToy and Wonderbook.

This cancellation marks another blow against PlayStation’s once much-vauntedambitions to release at least 10 PS5 multiplayer gamesin the coming years. That being said, it’s unclear whether these canceled projects were targeting PS4, PS5, PSVR, or evenPC and mobile as Sony pursues an “aggressive” multiplatform plan.

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It’s not uncommon for companies, especially large publishers, to cancel unannounced projects due to budget constraints or creative concerns. In the last year alone, we’ve seenBlizzard can a survival game reportedly in the works for 6 years,Embracer Group desperately sweep 29 games under the rugas it lays off thousands of workers, andUbisoft cancel at least seven projectseven as it talks up its release lineup. With the industry as a whole still hunkering down amidst widespread layoffs, countless other projects have likely been, or likely will be, canceled as well, many for the worst possible reason: there’s nobody left to work on them.

Just last month,Phil Spencer announced Microsoft is laying off nearly 2,000 people from its gaming division.

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he’s been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They’ve yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he’s kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

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