Sources told Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier that following the release of God of War Ragnarök, Bluepoint wanted to make an original title. It’s a spin-off of the God of War franchise, a live-service project where Atreus somehow ended up in the underworld, Hades, and apparently involved controlling different versions of the characters. “Some sort” of co-op was envisioned, as was post-launch support, but these weren’t exactly set in stone.

Since Bluepoint never worked on a live-service title and was a relatively smaller team that wasn’t well-versed in design, it reportedly failed to really make any progress (that too with Sony Santa Monica’s assistance). Some employees also apparently weren’t all that keen on the project, and thought they should make something akin to Demon’s Souls or Ragnarök.

Of course, the rest is history – Sony cancelled the project in early 2025 and claimed it was working to find something else for the studio. After the alleged Bloodborne remake was rejected, Bluepoint seemingly pitched a spin-off to Ghost of Tsushima and an updated Shadow of the Colossus Remake.

Following the cancellation of its live-service God of War title, Bluepoint allegedly pitched a remake to Sony. However, while the latter felt that it made sense numbers-wise, FromSoftware reportedly “didn’t want it to happen.” Schreier notes that this could be due to Sony respecting FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki’s request that no one else work on the same (which former SIE president Shuhei Yoshida revealed after his departure).

Bluepoint Games apparently tried pitching other projects, including an updated Shadow of the Colossus Remake, a Ghost of Tsushima spin-off and more. Despite approaching other PlayStation Studios, they were apparently “facing heavy financial pressure in recent years,” and couldn’t spare the resources. Eventually, Sony didn’t consider the studio capable of making its own game, and attempts at partnerships fizzled out, which led to its closure.

It seems the studio saw it coming to some extent, with some employees apparently growing “uneasy” after the announcement of the God of War Trilogy Remake. All in all, it’s a tragic end to a capable studio, but other developers are willing to take them in, such as Lords of the Fallen 2 publisher CI Games.

On Twitter, founder and CEO Marek Tyminski said, “The Demon’s Souls remake was an incredible achievement, and we’d be honoured to speak with the talented people behind it about opportunities on Lords of the Fallen 2 and beyond. We have multiple roles available, including some not yet listed on our website.

“If this speaks to you or someone you know, please reach out today – we’d love to hear from you and explore how your skills could help shape our next chapter.”

Besides serving as an incredible gesture for those affected, Tyminski’s statement is notable for the “and beyond” part. Granted, this could mean several things, from DLC to post-launch support. Following its release, Lords of the Fallen (2023) received dozens of updates that added new modes, features, difficulty options, and extensive revamps of the combat.

Bluepoint developers may also lend their expertise for optimization. All of its games have been a masterclass in the same, especially the Demon’s Souls remake, while delivering some of the best graphical fidelity out there. Given the performance problems that Lords of the Fallen launched with, it might help to get that talent on board to prevent the same issues with the sequel.

Lords of the Fallen 2 launches later this year for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. You can check out the latest details here, including improvements to the animations, world design and dual-wielding.

Yes, the same Bluepoint Games that developed Demon’s Souls Remake, a top-tier PS5 exclusive and one of the very best launch titles across generations. In a recent statement to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the studio will shut down in March after a “recent business review” by Sony. About 70 employees will lose their jobs, but hey, the company thanks them for their “passion, creativity, and craftsmanship.”

A stream of expletives wouldn’t be enough to express my annoyance at all this, but amidst it all, I – and several thousands of other fans – can only ask one thing: Why?

Well, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst has the answer – allegedly, of course, in a message shared with staff and reported by Kotaku. While praising the studio’s various successes, he said, “At the same time, we’re operating in an increasingly challenging industry environment. Rising development costs, slowed industry growth, changing player behavior, and broader economic headwinds are making it harder to build games sustainably.

“To navigate this reality, we need to continue adapting and evolving. We’ve taken a close look at our business to ensure we’re delivering today while still well-positioned for the future. As a result, we will be closing Bluepoint Games in March. This decision was not made lightly. Bluepoint is an incredibly talented team, and their technical expertise has delivered exceptional experiences for the PlayStation community. I want to thank everyone at Bluepoint for their creativity, craftsmanship, and commitment to quality. Where possible, we will work to find opportunities for some impacted employees within our global network of studios.”

Remember last year when Sony cancelled several live service projects and even shut down SIE London Studio? Bend Studio’s next title was in the bin, but so was Bluepoint’s – which was the first time we had even heard about their new project (that too based on an unlikely candidate for the model). “Is that what Sony had the developer on after acquiring it in 2021?” we all probably said at the same time, likely with the same level of shock.

I mean, this is the studio that not only worked on Demon’s Souls Remake but also Shadow of the Colossus Remake, which received its fair share of accolades. It brought Gravity Rush to an entirely new market with the 2015 remaster on PS4. It delivered not one, or two, or three, but four excellent collections for series like Uncharted and, of course, Metal Gear Solid. I still remember the sheer wizardry it employed to port Titanfall to the Xbox 360 back in 2014, and let’s not forget that it also worked on Ragnarok (alongside several other studios, but still).

A studio with such an impressive pedigree and by Sony’s own admission, “technical expertise” that resulted in “exceptional experiences for the PlayStation community,” and the first instinct was to put them on a live-service game? This reeks of Anthem all over again.

You could blame former SIE CEO Jim Ryan, who began the whole live-service initiative, which is still crashing and burning. But the current Sony is the one still trying to pursue live-service success. It desperately wants to recreate the success of Helldivers 2, and if it means throwing projects – and studios – at the wall until something sticks, consequences and layoffs be damned, then so be it.

In the case of Bluepoint Games, it probably didn’t see any possible place for it, repeated praise notwithstanding. After all, it already had one cancelled live-service project – which was greenlit by a higher-up who’s no longer in charge. Schreier reports that it tried pitching something else for the past year, and based on the results, it seems nothing appealed to Sony. Assuming it didn’t want to work on any more remakes – and that’s a tall assumption to make since Sony owns it and can mandate its next project – it’s ludicrous to think that there weren’t other areas or projects it could be assigned to.

Is it because Demon’s Souls didn’t sell millions of units in a certain period of time? Is that why Sony didn’t task it with making a Bloodborne remake? Is it only franchises like The Last of Us which deserve a remake, since they have a TV show to promote? We may never know.

Regardless, all of this simply smacks of a corporation that’s looking at any low-impact cuts it could make to improve its bottom line, even marginally so. Someone probably saw the number of developers at Bluepoint and decided it wasn’t worth keeping on the books at all, especially considering all the other above factors. None of us is privy to those high-level decisions, but this has to be one of the most out-of-touch that I’ve seen in quite a while.

It also makes you wonder about the company’s obsession with the live-service model. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. But if you’re Sony, shut down a bunch of studios, cancel several projects, lay off numerous employees, and then try again? It has to work eventually, right? That certainly seems to be the logic here.

How else could you explain projects like Horizon Hunters Gathering, which is reportedly the main focus of Guerrilla Games (with the next single-player Horizon reportedly not coming for several more years)? Or 4:Loop, developed by Bad Robot Games and failing to really ignite much interest all the times it’s been shown? You could argue that Marathon makes some sense given how much more space is in the extraction shooter market, but it’s still a coin toss, given Bungie’s reputation and the many ways it’s already bungled first impressions. And I dare Sony to tell me with a straight face that Bluepoint is worth shutting down, but Fairgame$, of all things, needs to remain in development (if it even still is, because no one wants to share anything).

Either way, for a company that so desperately needs more single-player titles, the decision is even more baffling. Remember when Sony committed to releasing “major single-player game titles every year” after Ghost of Yōtei? That was in a year which had only one notable single-player offering to speak of. Last year saw two in Yōtei and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and the latter isn’t technically Sony as much as Kojima Productions. This year is similar with Saros and Marvel’s Wolverine to look forward to in terms of full-fledged single-player offerings (Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is more multiplayer-geared). From my perspective, you don’t need fewer award-winning studios for crafting more such experiences.

Wasn’t the end goal to “monetize” the current PS5 install base by growing the revenue from software and network services? Does Sony truly have so little faith in Bluepoint Games’ ability to deliver a notable single-player experience that it just shut it down rather than avoid the trouble? Does that mean Bend Studio is next, especially given how we’ve heard nothing about its next project in the past year as well? Does Sony simply rinse and repeat with this process until there are only the big-name studios left, after which it probably goes on another shopping spree for more?

It’s just so bizarre to me that you can have almost nothing worthwhile for such a talented studio for so many years while pushing all these other titles that no one asked for. Call it bias because I enjoyed several of their titles and have a soft spot for its specific feats, whether it’s delivering the best darned Metal Gear Solid HD Collection ever, exposing more people to the brilliance of Titanfall, or simply bringing Boletaria to a new generation in stunning detail. Either way, this is a massive loss for no good reason – dismissed just about as easily with the business equivalent of “Bye, Felicia.”

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

While the message starts off by praising the work of PlayStation Studios for critically and commercially successful games like Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei, Helldivers 2 and MLB The Show, it then discusses rising development costs, slowed industry growth, and player behaviour changing along with “broader economic headwinds.”

“I wanted to share an update from the Studio Business,” wrote Hulst. “As I mentioned in the December Town Hall, 2025 had some strong highlights within PlayStation Studios. Ghost of Yotei launched to critical and commercial success, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach further showcased our commitment to narrative excellence, and Helldivers 2 and MLB The Show continue to drive on-going player engagement and revenue.”

“At the same time, we’re operating in an increasingly challenging industry environment. Rising development costs, slowed industry growth, changing player behavior, and broader economic headwinds are making it harder to build games sustainably.”

These economic issues ultimately led to Sony deciding to pull the plug on Bluepoint Games. A PlayStation spokesperson had previously confirmed that 70 employees of the studio were being laid off as a result of it being shut down.

“To navigate this reality, we need to continue adapting and evolving. We’ve taken a close look at our business to ensure we’re delivering today while still well-positioned for the future. As a result, we will be closing Bluepoint Games in March,” Hulst continued.

“This decision was not made lightly. Bluepoint is an incredibly talented team and their technical expertise has delivered exceptional experiences for the PlayStation community. I want to thank everyone at Bluepoint for their creativity, craftmanship, and commitment to quality. Where possible, we will work to find opportunities for some impacted employees within our global network of studios.”

“While I know this is hard news to hear, I’m confident in the direction we’re headed. Creativity, innovation, and building unforgettable experiences for players remain at the heart of PlayStation Studios. We have a robust roadmap for FY26, with much to look forward to in the months ahead. Thank you for your hard work and continued support.”

Bluepoint Games is well-regarded for its work on various remakes over the years, including one of the launch titles for PS5—a remake of Demon’s Souls. Previously, the studio had also worked on a remake of the critically-acclaimed Shadow of the Colossus. In more recent times, the studio was working on a live-service game that would take place in the God of War universe. However, along with many of Sony’s other live-service projects, it was also ultimately cancelled.

PlayStation had noted that the project’s cancellation wouldn’t lead to the studio being shut down at the time. Since then, Bluepoint Games has spent the year pitching new projects that seemingly didn’t get approved.

“Bluepoint Games is an incredibly talented team, and their technical expertise has delivered exceptional experiences for the PlayStation community. We thank them for their passion, creativity and craftsmanship,” they said.

Bluepoint Games is perhaps best known for Demon’s Souls Remake, but it also worked on collections such as God of War Collection, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. It arguably broke out in 2018 with its remake of Shadow of the Colossus, which received extensive acclaim.

Sony would acquire the studio in 2021, and it would work on projects such as God of War Ragnarok. Its unannounced live-service God of War title was in development for an unknown amount of time before facing cancellation in January 2025. PlayStation said this cancellation wouldn’t lead to the studio’s closure at the time, and Bluepoint seemingly spent the past year pitching something new.

Bluepoint Games joins other notable first-party studios to face closures following Sony’s failed live-service initiative, including SIE London Studio (previously working on a fantasy title) and Firewalk Studios (which delivered the disastrous Concord). Of course, despite these cancellations and laid-off developers, the publisher continues to pursue live-service titles, with Bad Robot Games’ 4:Loop and Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Hunters Gathering.

The Ancient Greece setting of the cancelled game is evident from the style of architecture, as well as the vases and pots that can be seen in the screenshots. Along with this, there are also indications that players would have gotten to explore some of the dark ruins dotting the Greek landscape. Other environments shown off include a lake made up of sulphur pools along the side of a mountain, as well as the crumbling ruins set in a densely-forested area.

A few of the screenshots even give us a raw look at some of the 3D assets that were being developed for the project, especially with regards to the lake that would have been found in the volcanic areas with the apparent hot springs, and how these springs would have compared to the player’s own character model in terms of size. Other in-development raw assets confirm some Greek buildings and ruins that don’t have much in the way of finer details added to them, as they were likely taken from earlier during the development.

The report with the screenshots indicates that Hades would have played an important role in the cancelled title’s story, with him being the owner of the sulphur pools zone. What this would have meant for the overarching story of God of War is ultimately unknown, but it is likely that it would have taken place before the events of God of War 3 on PS3, where Hades is fought as a boss fight during Kratos’ rampage against Olympus.

While little in the way of gameplay details has been revealed through these screenshots, one of them did give us a look at what an area would have looked like if it were “cursed”. This curse manifested in the form of a red corrosive effect on the environment, much like how rust shows up on iron. What it would have meant for actual gameplay, however, is ultimately lost thanks to the project’s cancellation.

Bluepoint Games’ mystery project getting cancelled was first confirmed back in January, and came in light of Sony cancelling a host of live-service projects at its studios. Along with Bluepoint Games, SIE Bend Studios also had its project – described as new open world live service IP – cancelled. In a statement after the cancellations, a Sony spokesperson noted that these cancellations would not lead to the closure of any of these studios.

“Bend and Bluepoint are highly accomplished teams who are valued members of the PlayStation Studios family, and we are working closely with each studio to determine what are the next projects,” the spokesperson said at the time.

In the meantime, Bluepoint has seemingly started working on its next project, which has been described through a job listing as being a third-person action game with an emphasis on melee combat.

But shouldn’t it have been doing that in the first place? That’s a question better answered by Sony, whose acquisition of the studio as part of its roster of first-party PlayStation studios back in 2021 seemed a solid choice at the time, but might not have been that way in hindsight.

Why is that so? What has Bluepoint Games been up to since that brilliant remake of Demon’s Souls? What could be the reason for the studio’s silence since then? What does the future hold for the studio?

Let’s dive in and find out.

Remaking History For the Future

While most modern gamers might know of Bluepoint Games after they brought Demon’s Souls to life as a release title that showcased the PS5’s current-gen capabilities, the studio has been around for far longer than that. And it has several other remakes and ports to its name that are as iconic as FromSoft’s legendary title.

Founded in 2006, this Texas-based studio had two of the best names from Retro Studios at its helm, whose work on Metroid Prime made them quite popular among gamers at the time. Andy O’Neil and Marco Thrush would soon release Bluepoint’s first game, Blast Factor, a shooter that was published by Sony for the PlayStation 3. It was the beginning of a professional relationship that would bear a lot of fruit for both companies, and will probably continue to do in the future. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Three years later, another collaboration between Bluepoint and Sony saw remastered versions of classic PS2 games make their way to the PS3. PS3 remasters of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, both action adventure titles for the PS2, would soon follow. Bluepoint would go on to remake Shadow of the Colossus  for the PS4, a title that cemented the studio’s reputation as an expert in modernizing iconic classics in the gaming world.

That reputation, along with its relationship with Sony, would allow it to have a hand at several brilliant remasters, such as HD versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, PS4 versions of the Uncharted franchise as part of the Nathan Drake Collection and even a collab with Microsoft for the Xbox 360 version of Titanfall. And then came Demon’s Souls.

But Bluepoint’s relationship with Sony took an interesting turn a year later when the Japanese giant acquired it and made it a part of PlayStation Studios. Things were a tad quiet on the Bluepoint front after that, until a rather disappointing announcement from Sony in January 2025.

A Loss of Valuable TIme and Effort

Sony’s revelation that it was scrapping two live-service titles that were hitherto unannounced, both under development by first party studios that had delivered hits in the past, was a letdown to say the least.

Aside from Bluepoint, it was Bend Studios, the developer of Days Gone that saw one of its projects axed. The studio has had a similar relationship with Sony as Bluepoint has had, having been a part of PlayStation Studios since 2001.

Several reports suggest that Bluepoint was working on a live-service title as a part of Sony’s attempt to make a push into that highly competitive space after its contributions to Ragnarok in 2022. But after Concord’s disastrous release, it would seem that Sony seems to be pulling the plug on its live-service push.

In all fairness, that’s a solid move considering how its studios have been producing excellent titles that continue to make a case for console exclusivity on the PlayStation 5. However, it does seem like a waste of time and effort from the talented folks over at Bluepoint Games, which could have otherwise been spent on either a new IP, or another brilliant remaster.

Sony has certainly dropped the ball when it comes to Bluepoint. But the latest news from the studio points to the two companies potentially turning things around and continuing to sustain a mutually fruitful relationship.

And that brings us to the current buzz surrounding the studio. What could Bluepoint be cooking that requires a Senior Combat Designer and Senior Level Designer?

Opportunities Galore

It’s quite heartening that Sony was quick to state that neither Bend Studios nor Bluepoint would see any significant business impact from the cancellation of their respective live-service titles. The new job listing is an indicator that the studio is already hard at work on a new project, but what could it be?

We’ve already covered the possibility that Bluepoint’s new project could be an original IP, requiring its new hires to take on the challenge of crafting exciting combat systems in intriguing puzzles that work together to create an immersive experience. It would be great to see a first-party PlayStation studio with a solid track record finally bring an original release to a very vibrant library of current-gen titles.

However, Bluepoint might also be sticking to its strengths, chipping away at a remake of an older IP. But there is one PlayStation exclusive that many gamers and FromSoftware fans have been clamoring for on the PlayStation 5.

Bloodborne is among FromSoftware’s finest titles, bringing an action-oriented horror experience like no other to the table. Its incredibly designed levels, Lovecraftian motifs, terrifying enemies, and of course, its unforgiving combat make it a perfect candidate for Bluepoint’s unique set of skills.

Having already worked on a FromSoftware title, the studio is perfectly poised to bring another of Miyazaki’s iconic classics to life in ways that can usher The Hunter’s mind-blowing adventure into the future, allowing a new generation of gamers to enjoy the experience while veterans can dive back into it with glee.

Moreover, the fact that Bloodborne hasn’t been able to make the most of the PS5’s graphical prowess makes a compelling case for the game to receive a remaster. We’ve often dreamt of what taking on various bosses with buttery smooth framerates and detailed visuals would look and feel like, after all. And from the looks of it, we’re not alone.

A cursory glance at a few related subreddits shows us that Bloodborne fans are alight with hope that the remaster they have long awaited for might finally see the light of day. However, there is a caveat. There is speculation that the remaster/remake could be a launch title for the PS6. That does make sense considering how much of a success Demon’s Souls was on the PS5, being a perfect showcase of all the current-gen goodness it brought to the table.

It’s a good idea to do the same thing for Bloodborne, allowing Bluepoint to dive into the game and recreate it in a way that could be what one astute Reddditor calls a “console seller”, while continuing to retain what has made the experience so special to legions of die-hard fans who continue to keep the hunt alive in Yharnam even ten years after the game’s release.

Another suggestion that seems unlikely but could be a delight to Bloodborne fans is the simultaneous development of the remake as well as a sequel. It would certainly be a delight to see Hidetaka Miyazaki return to a game that he has since left behind. He could very well bring devious new twists to the formula that none of his other titles have featured in the ten years since Bloodborne’s release.

Could the good hunters be the cornerstone of a bright future for Bluepoint, and be the ones who sustain a solid relationship between Sony and the studio? We certainly hope so!

Into The Future, With Hope

Whatever Bluepoint’s new project brings to the table, we’re optimistic that the studio and Sony will be able to leave the mistakes of the past five years behind. Their collaboration has brought some great work to the gaming world, and Sony’s misguided live-service push should not be an obstacle to them working together in the future.

This new project is sure to resolve a professional relationship that could very well bring us a lot more delightful moments as we make our way into a very bright future for the world of gaming. Our fingers are crossed with the hope that we might yet wield the Chikage against hordes of vicious enemies yet again!

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

The listings indicate that the studio is working on a new third-person action game with an emphasis on melee combat. Among the qualifications required for the role of Senior Combat Designer, Bluepoint Games wants the candidate to have a “Solid understanding of combat systems and mechanics for 3rd-person melee action experiences.”

When it comes to the role of Senior Level Designer, the responsibilities include the candidate being able to “Script and tune key aspects of the content, including events, interactions, encounters, puzzles, and collision.” This means that the studio’s new project likely involves a combination of third-person melee combat with some puzzle-based encounters.

Since Bluepoint Games is traditionally known for having worked on remakes and remasters of older titles. This new project could also serve as a way for Sony to revisit one of its older IPs. While there are quite a few older titles under the PlayStation umbrella that could be the target of a remake, the emphasis on third-person combat and puzzle-solving elements would indicate that it might end up being more in line with something like the original God of War, or even the much-requested Bloodborne.

The studio’s first attempt at an original game was to be a live-service title. However, it was one of the many projects that ultimately ended up getting cancelled in Sony’s great purge of in-development live-service projects that also included games by Sony Bend and even Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Online.

Despite the cancellation, however, Sony noted that these cancellations would not lead to the closure of the studio. “Bend and Bluepoint are highly accomplished teams who are valued members of the PlayStation Studios family, and we are working closely with each studio to determine what are the next projects,” said the company in a statement back in January. Sony did go on to note through an internal memo that it was “working closely with Bend and Bluepoint to determine what are the next projects and plan to do everything we can to ensure there is minimal business impact.”

The last major release by Bluepoint Games was all the way back in 2020, with PS5 launch title Demon’s Souls. The game was a remake of the seminal 2009 RPG originally developed by FromSoftware. Since then, Bluepoint Games has served as a support studio, with its most recent work that ended up getting a release being the PS4 and PS5 release of God of War Ragnarok back in 2022.

Bluepoint Games itself is yet to make any official announcement about what its next project will entail, and while it might end up being a remake, it could also potentially be a brand new IP.

Leaked via the forum’s members and admin, who “have it on good authority,” this could mean it never launches for PC, at least not in this generation. Could this mean Sony backing off on porting its titles to the PC market? Not quite. Bryank75 responded that PC plans still exist, but “some of them suck ass.” Make of that what you will, but you shouldn’t expect Bluepoint’s remake anytime soon.

Sony’s success with its first-party PC ports has been mixed lately. Helldivers 2 and Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut proved successful, but Returnal, LEGO Horizon Adventures, and Concord were disappointing. Even Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 debuted to less than 19K players on Steam, though it’s since reached 27,775 concurrent. It removed the mandatory PSN requirement for many titles, at least.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is the next first-party PlayStation title for PC, launching on April 3rd. Stay tuned for updates in the coming months.