After its announcement years ago and no gameplay or updates ever since, Haven Studios’ Fairgame$ has been cancelled. While you may think this is bad news for the Montreal-based studio, a PlayStation spokesperson told Bloomberg there wouldn’t be any layoffs and that it would instead serve as a support studio.
Where it will be assigned next remains to be seen, but it’s clear Fairgame$ wasn’t working. Its last test in particular seemingly sealed the shooter’s fate, as PlayStation executives Sean Decker and John Doyle told employees in an alleged email.
“While the test demonstrated strong operational excellence, live ops readiness and community engagement, player feedback and retention results were mixed and fell short of the goals we had set. Combined with challenging market conditions in the PVP shooter genre, we have made the difficult decision to cease development on the game.”
Announced at the 2023 PlayStation Showcase for PS5 and PC, Fairgame$ was touted as a competitive multiplayer shooter with heist elements. Players would infiltrate millionaires’ properties and attempt to score big while evading rival crews. A job listing claimed it was “on track to deliver a triple-A multiplayer experience,” but it faced several internal delays.
In May 2025, studio founder Jade Raymond departed. Several months later, director Daniel Drapeau followed. Rumors circulated about the gameplay loop and how it incorporated elements from The Division and Fortnite. At one point, it reportedly had an extraction mode, but the following pre-alpha playtest apparently didn’t go down well.
All in all, an expected outcome for Sony’s live-service initiative, which has been rife with cancellations, underperforming titles like Marathon, and the ill-received Horizon Hunters Gathering. What this entails for the publisher’s remaining efforts remains to be seen, so stay tuned for further updates.
