Having established PlayStation Studios as one of the leading names when it comes to delivering narrative-driven single player titles, Sony has now set its sights on also expanding into the live service space. The company has emphasized time and again that it will be looking to increase its output of ongoing multiplayer services in the years to come, and that, of course, has resulted in a great fiscal investment for their development as well.
In fact, as per a report published by Nikkei, Sony is set to invest 300 billion yen, which is roughly $2.13 billion, into research and development for live service titles over the course of the current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2024. That will account for as much as 40% of Sony’s entire R&D budget for the period. It’s also more than twice as much as the R&D budget for Sony’s entire gaming division in 2020 (144.5 billion yen).
Earlier this year, Sony revealed that following its acquisition, Bungie had been tapped up to lead “rigorous portfolio review process” for Sony’s current and future live service titles. PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst has also said that the company’s live service games will target “different genres, different release schedules, and at different scales.”
Sony intends to release 12 live service titles between now and April 2026. A number of these were announced at PlayStation Showcase earlier this year, including Bungie Marathon, Haven’s Fairgame$, and Firewalk’s Concord.
Guerrilla is also currently working on a co-op multiplayer Horizon game, while Naughty Dog is at work on standalone multiplayer The Last of Us project. Recent reports, however, have claimed that the latter has been scaled down following an internal evaluation. SIE London Studio is also developing a fantasy co-op game for PS5. Meanwhile, leaks have claimed that a Twisted Metal reboot is also in the works at Firesprite.