Bend Studio may be the biggest casualty of Sony's short-lived live service era.

playstation has traditionally been known for its high-quality AAA single-player games, but has recently made a concerted effort to expand into the live services arena. In 2022, Sony executive Hiroki Totoki told investors that PlayStation plans to release more than 10 live service games by March 2026. This was undoubtedly a very difficult goal to achieve. The PlayStation umbrella, which had experience with live service titles at the time. The decision to release so many GAAS games in such a short period of time sparked controversy, as many feared it would lead to oversaturation of the gaming market. Nonetheless, Sony kept trying.

So far, the results of PlayStation's live service plans have been poor to say the least. Although Sony released a multiplayer shooter that was a huge success; Helldiver 2 Early last year, all other attempts in this area ended poorly. A few months ago, PlayStation Guardians of the Galaxy– Style hero shooting game agreementIt sold so terribly that it closed just a few weeks after its debut. Meanwhile, several other GAAS titles were also canceled outright. Sony has discontinued several live service games from Naughty Dog, Firesprite, and Insomniac, and most recently has also discontinued projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games.

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Bend Studio may have been hit hardest by Sony's pivot to live services.

Sony cancels two live service projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Sony had canceled two live service games that were in development at its own studio without notice. One of them was a military gunner. Days Gone One was the producer Bend Studio and the other was GAAS. god of war game devil's soul (2020) Developer Bluepoint Games. Sony told Bloomberg that the two games were scrapped “following a recent review,” according to the report. The company said it was working with Bend and Bluepoint to determine what its next project would be, and noted that the studio would not be closing despite these cancellations.

It's good that Bend Studio and Bluepoint are still open, but the damage done to them won't be easily fixed. This is especially true in Bend. In the past, Bend Studio has released games at a fairly consistent pace, starting with new games. siphon filter game unknown Spin-off. However, the company has released virtually nothing recently. The most recent game Bend Studio released on the market was a zombie action-adventure title. Days GoneIt was released on PS4 in 2019. Yes, 2019 may not sound that far away at first, but it was almost six years ago.

Many of Bend Studio's projects have reportedly been put on hold over the past few years.

It's no secret that game development takes much longer than it does these days, but Bend Studio's case is particularly unusual. While most game developers can usually release a big-budget AAA game in 4-5 years, Bend Studio not only released 0 games in 6 years, they also announced nothing. Of course, one would think that if Bend Studio had been developing a live service game for five years, they would have shown something by now. Well, according to previous reports, Bend Studio actually had other projects in the works, but those too were scrapped.

In 2021, some insiders claimed that Sony canceled the event without notice. unknown games and Days Gone Sequels were both in development at Bend Studio. This title is said to have been shelved to create a new IP. However, as is now known, this new IP has also been cancelled. If all of this is true, Bend Studio is going through a really tough time lately. It must be heartbreaking for company employees to know that none of the projects they have been working on for more than five years will ever see the light of day. At the rate things are going, Bend Studio may not release a single game across the entire PlayStation 5 generation.

bend studio

bend studio

Establishment date

1993-00-00

headquarters

Bend, OR 97702, United States

parent company

Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Studios

known

Chubby 3D

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