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Sony spent the past few years trying to grow its live-service gaming business. The company wanted more multiplayer games that could stay active for years and bring steady income through updates and in-game purchases.
In this process, the studio ran into other troubles, with multiple of its single-player story-based games canceled and studios closed. The problems became more visible after the release of Concord. The game struggled to build interest and quickly became one of PlayStation’s biggest live-service disappointments.
Over the past few years, including in 2026, Sony has taken multiple missteps. Whether it’s raising the price of the PS5 or abandoning single-player games, these actions backfire on the company every time. However, the second one was serious. PS5 gamers don’t only expect multiplayer live-service games from Sony.
There’s a massive fanbase of single-player games where the story is the main attraction. However, the company has moved most of its studios to live-service game development. The goal was simple: create multiplayer games that players would keep returning to for years.
According to the reports, multiple of these projects failed. Sometimes the games were canceled before they were released or suffered a depressing failure. The situation also affected developers working behind the scenes. Reports suggest that in the last few years, Sony has closed multiple studios, including Firewalk Studio, London Studio, Neon Koi, and Bluepoint Games.
Many PlayStation fans questioned the strategy. Players often pointed out that Sony became successful mainly because of strong single-player games like God of War, Spider-Man, and The Last of Us. Some fans strongly feel that the company has been moving too far from the franchises that brought it fame in the gaming world.
One of the most recalled failures that Sony faced in recent times was Concord. The live-service game was released on August 23, 2024, and within 11 days, the servers were closed, marking its official withdrawal from the market.
The weak launch of Concord seems to have forced Sony to rethink its live-service plans. The game entered a crowded multiplayer market and struggled to attract players. Many people felt there was nothing unique enough to pull players away from already popular shooters like Destiny 2 or Counter-Strike 2. The situation even sparked discussions about whether Sony pushed too hard into a market that had already become overcrowded.
Also Read: Best Game Pass Single-Player Titles to Explore in 2026
Even after these problems, Sony is unlikely to completely abandon live-service gaming. The reason seems to be business. Successful live-service games can keep making money for years through skins, battle passes, expansions, and other paid content.
Single-player games often make most of their money near launch. Expansions and DLCs are earned, but nothing compared to the microtransactions that live-service games bring. The steady income remains attractive to large gaming companies. For Sony, the challenge now is finding multiplayer ideas that players actually want to support over the long term.
