Interestingly, Drapeau is noted as being one of the first people to work at Haven Studios, and his LinkedIn profile indicates that his departure from the studio took place some time in August. “As of this week, I joined WB Games Montreal Inc. as Creative Director,” wrote Drapeau a few weeks ago on LinkedIn. “I can’t wait to start this wonderful adventure with all the great people here at the studio.”

Drapeau is a veteran of the gaming industry, having first started out as a game tester all the way back in 2006. Since then, he has slowly worked his way up the ranks, especially in the field of game design. Among the projects that Drapeau has worked on include Rainbow Six Siege and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Throughout his career, Drapeau primarily worked at Ubisoft before leaving the company to join Haven Studios back in 2021.

Drapeau isn’t the first major departure from Haven Studios’ Fairgame$ project. Studio head and founder Jade Raymond had left the company back in May. A PlayStation spokesperson confirmed this with a statement, thanking Raymond for her contributions to the studio’s work. Her position has since been taken up by Marie-Eve Danis and Pierre-François Sapinski as co-studio heads.

“Jade Raymond has been an incredible partner and visionary force in founding Haven Studios,” said the spokesperson about Raymond’s departure. “We are deeply grateful for her leadership and contributions, and we wish her all the best in her next chapter.”

Haven Studios had announced Fairgame$ all the way back in May 2023. Since then, however, no details about the game have been confirmed by either the studio or PlayStation. Fairgame$ is slated to be a heist title with PvEvP gameplay, and is currently being developed for PC and PS5.

Fairgame$ was announced with a trailer, which showcased a crew of three players making use of tools like grappling hooks to breach a seemingly secure facility. Along the way, the group encounters another group that is seemingly trying to steal the same thing from the same location.

A job listing for Fairgame$ indicated that it would be a major AAA release for Haven Studios and PlayStation. The listing noted that the title has been on track with its development, and is slated “to deliver a AAA multiplayer experience.”

While no official details have been confirmed as of yet, rumours from back in May indicate that, along with its core extraction shooter gameplay, Fairgame$ will also feature elements from other live service titles like Fortnite and Tom Clancy’s The Division. However, playtests have indicated that development on the title wasn’t going as well as Haven Studios had hoped, with feedback revolving around how it “doesn’t feel good to play” and feels “super clunky”.

A report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier revealed that this occurred after an alleged external test that caused concern for its developers (who were also left in the dark about the reason for Raymond’s departure). According to the Sacred Symbols Podcast on Patreon (via MauroNL), the pre-alpha was allegedly named Project Hearts and hasn’t received good feedback.

Some of this apparently included that it “doesn’t feel good to play” and currently feels “super clunky.” The gameplay is reportedly “battle royale crossed with an extraction shooter,” featuring elements of Fortnite and Tom Clancy’s The Division.

Of course, beyond conducting heists and running into rival crews, Haven Studios hasn’t detailed or showcased any gameplay. Fairgame$ allegedly won’t launch until Spring 2026, though given Sony’s current stance on live-service projects, it may be cancelled. Stay tuned for more details, and in the meantime, read more about Marathon, another troubled live-service title under Sony.

A spokesperson for PlayStation told Bloomberg, “Jade Raymond has been an incredible partner and visionary force in founding Haven Studios. We are deeply grateful for her leadership and contributions, and we wish her all the best in her next chapter.” Marie-Eve Danis and Pierre-François Sapinski have taken over as co-studio heads, with the publisher “committed to supporting Haven Studios and excited to continue the journey.”

Those knowledgeable about the matter told Jason Schreier that the studio was left in the dark about the reason for Raymond’s departure. This followed an alleged external test for Fairgame$ (apparently now going by Fairgames), with some developers reportedly concerned about its progress.

Sources also told Schreier that Fairgame$ was supposed to launch this Fall, but is now targeting Spring 2026 for release (which is in line with a previous rumor). Following the failure of Concord, Sony has cancelled several of its live service projects, including the standalone The Last of Us multiplayer project, a God of War multiplayer title from Bluepoint and a fantasy RPG from SIE London Studio.

Whether Fairgame$ is also shelved remains to be seen. It’s currently in the works for PS5 and PC.

There doesn’t seem to be any hope for a shadow drop this year. On the recent Game Mess Decides, Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb revealed, “No Fairgame$ this year. Fairgame$, as far as I’m aware, has been pushed to 2026.”

It’s somewhat understandable – the staggering failure of Concord reportedly led to Sony reconsidering its live service plans and cancelling projects from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games. Perhaps it’s taking more time for polish to ensure a satisfactory experience. Maybe there are some overhauls. Either way, it may be a while before it’s playable.

The premise of Fairgame$ sees players as heisters who venture into “forbidden locations” worldwide to steal “cool loot.” Unraveling the “nefarious plans” of billionaires is also on the menu, as the gameplay focuses on emergent sandbox PvP. It’s currently being developed for PS5 and PC. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months.

Interestingly enough, that information comes from a job listing that was recently published. The listing, which is for a producer role, says the game is “on track” to deliver a systemic game built on “freedom, thrill, and playfulness” that, as per Haven, will evolve and be supported over a long period of time.

“We’ve made amazing progress in a short time thanks to our talented, passionate team and their exceptional contributions,” the listing reads. “We established a culture at Haven grounded in kindness, adaptability and courage that unlocks creativity. Our first new IP for PlayStation is on track to deliver a AAA multiplayer experience with a vision to build a systemic and evolving world focused on freedom, thrill, and playfulness that will keep players entertained and engaged for years.”

What exactly does that mean for Fairgame$ and how far along it is in production? Obviously, Haven hasn’t provided any insight into that, so it remains unknown how long it’ll be before we see some actual gameplay footage from the heist shooter. Leaks have claimed that a State of Play is coming up soon, where Sony will allegedly be providing updates on fellow live service shooter Concord and a new Astro Bot game– could Fairgame$ show up there as well? One can hope, at least, though unlike, say, Concord, Fairgame$ does not have an official launch window target that it needs to hit.

Fairgame$ is in development for PS5 and PC.

Some are fine with that. Others are probably angry. You can make up your mind. However, it does raise the question: What are Sony’s first-party studios doing?

Let’s start with the confirmed titles. First is Insomniac Games, which finally showcased gameplay for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Not only did it introduce Kraven as one of the new villains, but also Dr Curt Connors in his Lizard incarnation, tearing through the East River as Kraven’s Hunters chased him. The Symbiote suit was also revealed, but on Peter Parker, who has some new brutal abilities to go with it. Miles Morales was no slouch, showcasing new gadgets and enhanced Venom Blast powers that can chain lightning.

It was a lot to dissect, and we’re left with many questions about the story (like the state of Harry Osborne). A release date isn’t confirmed, but Insomniac said it would share the same soon with other details like the pre-order date, accessibility features and more.

Haven Studios, founded by Jade Raymond of Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs and EA Motive fame, also showcased its brand-new title, Fairgame$. Coming to PS5 and PC, it’s an online heist game with competitive elements. No gameplay was showcased, but the various scenarios of its CG trailer did reinforce the emergent sandbox moments that Haven is going for.

Heisters had a grappling hook which could, well, grapple onto the environment and hoist them up. However, it could also grapple a piece of metal to use as a shield or create a barrier against laser wires. It appears to support three-player teams, but not much else is known. A QR code led to a page that may be for pre-registering for an upcoming closed beta. It’s either that or Sony really wants to know which billionaire needs a spanking (seriously).

Firewalk Studios, founded in 2018 by Harold Ryan, former CEO of Bungie, unveiled its new title as well. It’s a PvP first-person shooter called Concord out in 2024 for PS5 and PC. That’s more or less it – yes, once again, no gameplay was showcased. It was touted as a “unique universe of vibrant worlds” and a “rich cast of colorful characters,” so maybe a hero shooter? It’s too early to say, but its director and executive producer have worked on Destiny, so we’ll see.

Odd as it sounds, that’s really all that was revealed on the first-party side. Bungie is owned by Sony and unveiled Marathon, but that’s coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC with crossplay and cross-save. It’s also a PvP extraction shooter, presumably one with live-service elements. Again, time will tell, but at least whenever gameplay debuts, it will be closer to the game’s release. So there’s that.

It’s understandable for some to be worried that this is all Sony has in the pipeline from its first-party studios. However, Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson reported that “a lot of the games we’re waiting on seeing are pretty much ready” and he was unsure why Sony chose to not reveal them. The Snitch further chimed in, stating that there some announcements weren’t revealed at the Showcase, and it’s unknown why.

One of those is a PC port for a triple-A title reportedly out in July. That would probably answer what Nixxes is up to, though your guess is as good as ours as what said title could be (update: It’s Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, out on July 26th for Steam and the Epic Games Store).

Some of the projects we know about that aren’t formally announced include Bend Studio’s next game. The Days Gone developer is working on a new IP with a “whole new world,” which builds on the open-world systems seen in its zombie survival title and incorporates multiplayer. It’s planning to reveal the title when the time is “right” – sadly, that time wouldn’t be at the recent PlayStation Showcase.

Firesprite, fresh off of releasing Horizon Call of the Mountain with Guerrilla Games, had job listings last year for a “triple-A narrative-driven horror adventure game.” However, later rumors indicated that it’s also working on a reboot of Twisted Metal, with a former Destruction AllStars director onboard. While Firesprite never officially announced it, several job listings emerged last February for a new triple-A multiplayer title that “aims to break new ground in multiplayer, blending gameplay mechanics in new ways and deeply embedding storytelling elements into a unique universe.”

The Principal Designer listing also mentioned “mechanics around vehicular and on-foot combat.” Even if Twisted Metal is in the works, perhaps to coincide with the upcoming show, it seems to be a ways off from release.

Guerrilla Games released Horizon Forbidden West last year to critical and commercial success and followed it up with the Burning Shores expansion this past April. It also worked on the PlayStation VR2 title Horizon Call of the Mountain. Given how Forbidden West and Burning Shores ended, we can safely assume Horizon 3 is on the way.

For its part, the developer confirmed that it would continue “to create epic solo adventures for Aloy.” However, it’s also working on an online Horizon game, developed by a “new internal team” and featuring a “new cast of characters” and a “unique stylized look.” Subsequent job listings have suggested that it will be open-world and feature new Machines, though, again, it may be a while before any gameplay is showcased.

There’s been a lot of talk about online titles and live service, so here’s some potentially good news for single-player fans – Ghost of Tsushima developer Sucker Punch Productions put up job listings last year for a new project. The Encounter Designer listing indicated this was “an open-world game, with a particular focus on melee combat and stealth.”

That sounds like a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima is in development. Whether it’s coming sooner than expected, especially since the first game was released in 2020, remains to be seen, but it would be incredibly hype. Will Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, the amazing four-player co-op experience, also return? It probably isn’t beyond Sony to already have a live-service spin-off based on the same in development, so we’ll see.

Amid all of Sony’s first-party studios, Bluepoint Games appears to be the most low-key. The Demon’s Souls remake developer revealed earlier this year that it was “hard at work on our next project” but also that it would showcase it “When the time is right. All good things take time.” What’s particularly interesting is that this project isn’t a remake but “original content,” according to Sony. A sequel to Bloodborne, as rumored by XboxEra in October 2021? One could hope, but the mill has run dry on reliable Bloodborne rumors over the years.

LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule confirmed that live support for Dreams would end on September 1st, 2023, as it focuses on its “exciting new project.” The developer has confirmed it’s not Dreams 2 or based on the IP. Studio co-founder Mark Healey, who served as the creative director of Dreams, left the studio shortly after the announcement.

Another co-founder, Kareem Ettouney, who also served as art director, also departed the studio earlier this year. While this doesn’t mean Media Molecule are in trouble, you have to wonder what it means for the future, especially since ending support for Dreams wasn’t an “easy decision.”

Another low-key first-party studio lately has been London Studio, which released VR shooter Blood and Truth in 2019. It confirmed last October that it’s working on a non-VR, online co-op title set in London but with a fantasy twist. Developed on the in-house Soho Engine, co-studio head Tara Saunders said it’s the studio’s “most ambitious game to date.” While it doesn’t use “all different bits of peripherals, it is still about taking that DNA of innovation and putting it into any game concept,” per Saunders.

Regarding the theme, co-studio head Stuart Whyte revealed, “Our overarching theme is about bringing fantastical and magical elements and intersecting that with familiar worlds, and you don’t get much more familiar to us than London.” Again, sounds interesting, but it may be a ways off from release.

Astro’s Playroom developer Team Asobi was one of the only teams to survive the end of Japan Studio and now exists as a standalone developer. Last we heard, it’s working on “a franchise for all ages with global appeal,” per PlayStation Studios head Herman Hulst. A job listing in July 2021 indicated the studio was hiring for a 3D action title and that creativity and humor would be a part of it. Again, no formal announcement made, so it’s a toss-up when we’ll hear about it.

Finally, there’s Naughty Dog, working on a standalone multiplayer title for The Last of Us. Unfortunately, it seems that development has run into some issues. The developer revealed it’s giving the project “more time,” while Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier said it’s being reassessed for “quality and long-term viability.”

The development team has reportedly been scaled back, with some going to work on other projects, but it’s not cancelled. Interestingly, Naughty Dog said it has “other games” in the works, including a “brand new single-player experience.” The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann confirmed he was working on a new project last year, while also saying it was “too early” to discuss. He’s open to developing The Last of Us Part 3, but that’s not exactly set in stone (yet).

There were rumors of an Uncharted reboot, developed by a different studio. A new recruiter was brought on last year to build teams for “new games” and the “legacy of Uncharted.” Sony would subsequently announce a new internal studio in San Diego with PlayStation Studios Visual Arts to work with Naughty Dog on a “new project in a beloved franchise.” A tease for what could be the next Uncharted was spotted in a live-action trailer for PS5 in January, but again, nothing official has been announced.

There are other first-party studios like Housemarque and Santa Monica Studio, but the former has not indicated its next project. The latter released God of War Ragnarok last November, and it may be a long while before its next project is unveiled. Polyphony Digital indicated in February that work has started on the next Gran Turismo, but it can’t talk about the same just yet. In the meantime, it continues to pump out content updates for Gran Turismo 7.

Given all the projects in development, it remains to be seen if Sony will have more State of Plays this year to showcase its other projects. It’s not odd to see a publisher hold back announcements to avoid bloating its shows (see Xbox). Sony may also be taking a page out of Nintendo’s book and keeping its completed projects under wraps before announcing and releasing them within the same time frame.

If nothing else, it could also be a lean year for triple-A exclusives on the PS5. Given Sony’s recently revealed strategy to have two or more major games yearly, it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise. As horrifying as that no doubt sounds for the PlayStation diehard, the company has released several high-profile exclusives since the PS5’s launch in November 2020. There’s bound to be some downtime in between.

Nevertheless, it should still be an interesting year for PS5 players. Final Fantasy 16 is out in June; Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is reportedly targeting a September release; Helldivers 2 is later this year; and we’re still awaiting news on Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the next chapter in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy, still planned for Winter 2023. The near future is pretty bright, even if we still need more details on what’s coming in 2024 and beyond.

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.

It begins with three players venturing into a secure facility with grappling hooks. Upon breaching the depths and using shields to fool the security lasers, they seemingly encounter another trio attempting to infiltrate the vault. Along with using a grappling hook to grab a piece of the environment as a shield, they also shoot rounds that can disrupt enemies.

Upon venturing into the vault, another three-player squad seemingly arrives. Fairgame$ appears to be the live-service title exclusive to PS5 that Haven had previously confirmed. Nothing else is known, though the “See you soon” message at the end could potentially hint at a beta coming shortly. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Raymond said, “We already mentioned that we built the studio in a cloud and that was our vision since we started during the pandemic. We didn’t have offices at first and we thought why not innovate here and avoid people having these big machines and VPNing in?

“We had a cloud team initially that was about six people working on new ways to work. Now, we’ve just welcomed another 21 engineers to focus on long-term cloud innovation, because we really believe it’s going to be a game-changer in terms of how games are made.”

One of those new hires is Jalal El Mansouri, technical architect for Rainbow Six Siege who was also part of Google. He joined Haven two weeks ago and is now head of R&D. “He’s really going to be working with Leon [O’Reilly], our CTO, on shaping this vision. Both things that are going to be short-term critical to operating our first game more efficiently, and then also some more forward-thinking stuff that we think will pay off, which is worth investing in now.”

Haven is currently working on a live service PS5 exclusive, which means there are “additional challenges of how do we make that kind of game with that kind of delivery, but with the PlayStation-level graphics that people expect. All while allowing for those constant updates and building something that could be a living experience,” says Raymond.

“Obviously to do that without having thousands and thousands of people, you need to work differently. And even if you are going to have thousands of people on the dev team, just the amount of data that you have to push and the way that you think about those updates and keeping a game alive… there are a lot better ways to do it.

“Our initial part of ‘studio in the cloud’ was really a focus on starting-up and building tools and the general things to get people working from home really quickly. Now we’re looking at the next step: how do we innovate in terms of certain modules that the live service and engine needs, and how do we do those things in a more scalable way that will really enable us to have a more rapidly evolving game and more productive people? That’s the dream.

“When you get to teams of thousands of people and you’re dealing with a lot of these old processes where it takes a long time to just get your data and get up and running and open your editor…you sap some of the creativity out of game making, not only the reactivity but the ability for those game developers to just try things out. That’s our main objective: we want to make the dev team more efficient and able to output new ideas faster.”

Interestingly, the studio has “zero IT” with everything being automated in the cloud. This has attracted the attention of other PlayStation studios and even PS4 and PS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny.

“So [Mark Cerny] is one of the main reasons we’re investing so much in R&D, and in this very senior engineering team. It’s not just tied to the cloud but also some more forward-thinking R&D. I’m not able to say too much now, but that’s one of the other things that’s been a big attractor and is exciting to our team with PlayStation. Of course, Mark Cerny is kind of like a rockstar, too, so being able to collaborate with him is really exciting. And the fact that Jalal is joining… there are a lot of bold ideas that we’re looking forward to exploring,” says Raymond.

PlayStation has been making some fairly big strides for live service titles over the past year. It acquired Destiny developer Bungie which will “support the development of future PlayStation live service titles,” as per PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan. Chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki later confirmed at least 10 live service titles coming to the PS5 by March 2026.

Two of these will arrive before April 1st, 2023 which may include Naughty Dog’s multiplayer-only title in The Last of Us universe and PlayStation London Studio’s upcoming fantasy title. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

PlayStation’s first party output, however, has always been associated first and foremost with single player story-driven games, especially over the last console generation and heading into the current one- so is a greater emphasis on live service games going to come at the cost of the kinds of experiences PlayStation has built its brand and fanbase on? Well, apparently not.

It was recently confirmed that PlayStation has acquired Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios, a studio that is currently working on a new AAA live service PS5 IP. Speaking about the same in an interview with GamesIndustry, PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst said that while Sony’s first party teams will “always carry on making” single player narrative-driven games, the company also wants to expand its presence in the live service space, which it finds “incredibly exciting”.

“Obviously we will always carry on making these single-player narrative-based games such as Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us, and Horizon Forbidden West,” Hulst said. “But you’ve spotted correctly that we have invested in live service games, because that’s incredibly exciting for us. It allows us to build larger worlds, it allows us to create really meaningful social connections between players.

“We have quite a few now in development or conceptualisation, so yes we are setting up capabilities internally. But exactly for that reason, it is so exciting for us to welcome to the family a group of people who have a lot of experience with live service games. To have those central capabilities that we’re setting up interact with people who have been doing it for a long time… that notion that demanding customers create great capabilities, that usually holds true in game development.

“It’s really exciting for our central services and technology groups. For these to be working with a world class outfit like Haven… that’s great. And it is aligned with the strategy of diversifying the kinds of games we are offering to our fanbase.”

Earlier this year, shortly after the announcement that PlayStation was acquiring Destiny developer Bungie, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said that the acquisition would help Sony “significantly accelerate” its “aggressive roadmap” with live service games.

There’s a number of live service games that could possibly in the works across PlayStation or PlayStation-affiliated teams right now, and though there’s been no official word from Sony on that front, we recent looked at a few likely projects that might be in the works. Read more on that through here.

Haven Studios was first established by industry veteran Jade Raymond in early 2021, when it was also confirmed that the developer had partnered with PlayStation and was working on a new PS5-exclusive multiplayer IP. As has been strongly suggested several times since then, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst has confirmed it will indeed be a live service game, which, as we know, is an area that Sony is looking to have a larger presence in in the coming years.

“We began working with Jade and her team in early 2021 when they were on the brink of announcing the formation of Haven Studios,” Hulst wrote in a PlayStation Blog post. “From their first pitch, we were inspired by Haven’s vision for creating a modern multiplayer experience that brings gamers together in positive and meaningful ways. We were confident in their creative and technical expertise to deliver on such an ambitious project and were thrilled to invest in their journey developing a new, original IP for PlayStation.”

Haven Studios’ CEO and founder Jade Raymond wrote, “We’ve made amazing progress in a short time thanks to our talented, passionate team and their exceptional contributions. We established a culture at Haven grounded in kindness, adaptability and courage that unlocks creativity. Our first new IP for PlayStation is on track to deliver a AAA multiplayer experience with a vision to build a systemic and evolving world focused on freedom, thrill, and playfulness that will keep players entertained and engaged for years.”

As you’d expect, with Haven Studios being brought under the PlayStation Studios umbrella, the developer will also be able to leverage the knowhow and experience of other first party PlayStation teams- and according to Raymond, that’s very much something that Haven as a whole is looking forward to.

“As a SIE first-party studio, we will have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the world’s most renowned development teams, including studios like Guerrilla, Naughty Dog, Media Molecule, and Insomniac Games, the creators of games that have inspired us as players and developers for years,” she wrote. “We’re excited to learn from these world-class studios, as well as the exceptional central creative, technology and marketing teams whose expertise will enable us to deliver even better games to players.”

There’s no word yet on when Haven’s debut project is going to be formally unveiled, but with it still clearly being in the early stages of development, there’s a good chance we won’t hear about it for some time yet.