Lest we forget, the year has been full of other live-service failures, big and small. Highguard is the most prominent, but Destruction AllStars recently saw its servers shut down as well. After a whopping five years of development and $880 million spent, Sega cancelled its Super Game project. And lest we forget, Sony shut down Bluepoint Games after having it on a live-service project for years. Even among lesser-known companies, it’s looking grim. Wildgate, which launched last year to some fanfare, won’t receive any more content after its next update.

But don’t worry, everyone. Amid all these high-profile failures and money sinks, Hideaki Nishino, fearless president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, told Famitsu about his plans to “revitalize the market” via first- and third-party content. The answer? Live service games.

The company is focusing on new releases but also “considering what we can do with older titles in the medium to long term.” He even considers Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls to be a live-service game for…reasons.

When asked if PlayStation truly wants to pursue the model – because who could believe it after so many project cancellations and studio closures – Nishino said, “With live service games, it’s important to continuously provide something. The genre itself is relatively new, and I think many people are trying various things, so we also want to continue to take on challenges within that context.”

Yes, that’s right. The genre which grew to prominence with Destiny, Fortnite and whatnot, which has seen more failures than hits in the past decade, is still “relatively new.” And PlayStation can do nothing to actually overcome those challenges. So if you thought Jim Ryan’s departure would mean that the company suddenly pivots its business strategy, well, maybe think again.

Let’s leave aside the irony of wanting to continue pursuing live-service after laying off hundreds of developers who worked on one of the pioneers of the model. What truly baffles me about all this is how, even with all these setbacks, the disaster that was Concord, and considering one of the main appeals of Sony’s consoles is its prestige single-player titles, it still wants to keep trying with live service. Where at first you don’t succeed, you apparently fail, fail, fail again, fail some more and keep trying because why not?

We’ve already gone over the Marathon situation. On Steam, at least, it’s now at its second straight day under 10K peak concurrent players. So not quite at Highguard’s level just yet, but lest we forget, even after its upcoming layoffs, Bungie is still a pretty big team. Destiny 2 was considered to be in big trouble when it hit these same numbers, and I would be shocked if Marathon somehow got a pass.

Then there’s Fairgame$ or Break In, or whatever PlayStation thinks it should be called, which we’ve seen neither hide nor hair of in over three years. There hasn’t even been any gameplay. Rumors claim it has an extraction shooter mode, but we don’t even know what the standard gameplay formula is. And no, playtests following the former were not positive, not that anyone could expect them to be at this point.

The only thing that’s left is Horizon Hunters Gathering. I like the series and the gameplay doesn’t look too shabby. But after reports about how this is what most of Guerrilla Games is on for the time being and that the third Horizon game is years away, it just feels like a repeat of The Last of Us Online. And Anthem. And Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. And Redfall, even if those aspirations were allegedly scaled back before its disastrous launch. That is, putting developers who specialize in single-player titles on these live-service ships which ultimately go nowhere.

The hilariously tragic part of it all is that the model itself doesn’t always lend itself to failure. Look at Grinding Gear Games’ Path of Exile 1 and 2. It’s able to provide consistent content updates for both games – after an awkward transitory period, but still – and now cycles back and forth between leagues. You could argue that it’s an action RPG that doesn’t have the same budget and scale as these other triple-A endeavors, and might be right. But the goal is retention and providing consistent quality content. Sometimes, the developer doesn’t always get it right and is forced to eat crow over some really bad decisions. And yet, it continues to push forward thanks to cultivating a hardcore community, for better or worse.

It feels like bigger companies like PlayStation and, yes, even Xbox, want that same thing, but greenlight projects just to chase trends. If there’s a plan, it certainly doesn’t feel like it, especially with some of these games spending years trying to figure out what to do, wasting time and money. And allocating triple-A-level budgets to begin with is in itself a problem. If Bend Studio released Days Gone 2, you could at least be assured of some returns, and maybe an evergreen title that continues to generate sales down the line. But with a live-service title, you’re essentially rolling the dice. If it underperforms, you lose your initial investment and continue to burn money every day the servers remain online, and when new content is delivered.

Of course, there’s also the fact that the market is too crowded. The live-service model is far from new; it feels like every other live-service game is because their shelf life is so short. And yet, publishers continuously gamble for a chance at a hit and that sweet long-term revenue. Every time, no matter how often it fails, and regardless of how many other failures there have been in the past.

It isn’t realistic to expect anything else at this point because as long as someone is making money in the live-service space, there will always be others who want a piece of the pie. No one can really say how Xbox will fare with its single-player offerings, especially given its baffling exclusive strategies and lackluster console market share. But at least for Sony, the focus on single-player titles should become more prominent.

If games like Astro Bot, which has reportedly reached 4.3 million sales since launching in September 2024, prove anything, it’s that even smaller-scale, linear projects have a place. PlayStation doesn’t always have to invest in these massive titles that require budgets in the hundreds of millions – besides its own IP, there is room for more variety. Even if they underwhelm in the short term, like Saros apparently has, you don’t need to worry about continuing to pay for their upkeep and eventually shutting them down.

Maybe it’s trying something different with games like Marvel Tōkon and Horizon Hunters Gathering. As long as it expects big returns, then even efforts like these won’t be the right fit (and I’m extremely doubtful that there’s any room for the latter). I can respect smaller developers who try to reach for that next viral hit by going into live-service, even if they miss the mark. But for a company like PlayStation to keep throwing millions after millions at the model and have little to show for it is a definition of insanity that defies description.

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.

According to Hulst, the decision was made “only after extensive discussion and careful consideration.” “Over the past several months, together with Bungie leadership, we reviewed the studio’s long-term direction, development priorities, resource needs, and role within our broader portfolio strategy. We explored multiple alternatives before concluding that a reduction was necessary to align the studio’s resources with its current priorities and long-term goals.”

Praising the franchise as a whole, he noted that Bungie would begin a “new journey” after the recent final content update for Destiny 2. Whether that means a new project or something else remains to be seen. According to reports before this announcement, Destiny 3 is not in development.

As for Marathon, Sony considers it an “important part of our portfolio,” and Hulst says it will “continue to support the team as they build on the strong foundation established in Season 1 and 2, and as they work on incubation efforts for future projects.” The latter is seemingly “too early to discuss”, but the company is “encouraged by the creativity and opportunities that lie ahead.” Potential spin-offs or something else entirely? It would certainly be an interesting option to explore, especially since the extraction shooter hasn’t exactly been setting the charts on fire or hitting record player counts, at least on Steam.

Regarding those facing layoffs, Hulst said, “We are providing transition support and, where possible, working to identify opportunities across SIE and our global network of studios.” This is similar to what happened in June 2024 when 155 roles from Bungie were integrated into PlayStation, resulting in new studios like teamLFG.

We may only know the extent of layoffs in the coming months, so stay tuned, but based on previous reports, they’re looking to be “significant.”

“I guess they’re not going to lay this out publicly, but there’s no ambiguity in their strategy,” he said in a ResetEra thread. “During a townhall a few weeks ago, Hermen Hulst told staff that their single-player narrative games will be PlayStation only, and he explained that they were inconsistent with their PC releases, they didn’t make enough money, and they want to keep their IP aligned to their own platform. Confirmed this with two people who heard him say it. There’s no ‘case by case’ here.”

Even if Sony decides to backtrack, it has years of data claiming that its PC porting efforts just aren’t delivering the same returns. Interestingly, the decision was apparently quite recent. Ghost of Yōtei was reportedly slated for PC, but those plans have seemingly been scrapped.

On the bright side, if you can call it that, the company’s live-service games will continue to release for PC alongside PS5. Besides Marathon, it also has the AWOL Fairgame$ and Horizon Hunters Gathering. Neither of the latter has a release date, but Guerrilla Games has held closed betas, and rumors claim that the majority of the studio is working on its co-op multiplayer title.

Whether they can break out and become successful remains unknown, especially given how much Sony has backtracked on its live-service initiative. Time will tell, but until then, if you want to experience the likes of Marvel’s Wolverine, Intergalactic and God of War Laufey, you’ll need a PS5.

But first and foremost, PlayStation is taking the spotlight with a 60+ minute State of Play on June 2nd. After its incredible showing last February, can it deliver an even bigger show? Maybe, but what can we expect? Here are 15 potential announcements and reveals, starting with…

Control Resonant’s Release Date

Alright, Remedy. We get it. You have a bigger, more ambitious sequel to the excellent Control, complete with deeper combat mechanics, more exciting enemies, tougher boss battles, and art direction that’s completely unlike anything else out there. Since the gameplay reveal happened at the last State of Play, it seems all but a given that a release date should be announced at the next. The wait has been killing us, so it’s now or never.

The Faye Situation

Multiple noted insiders, from NateTheHate to Jason Schreier, reported on its existence, and even a Santa Monica Studio writer indicated that they were working on a “new franchise” in the same universe on their LinkedIn. At this point, how can the spin-off not be revealed? Based on what we know, Faye will take center stage, accompanied by Merlin, a talking sword (so there’s the Arthurian legend covered), and even running into Tyr. It was rumored to be revealed in May or June, and lo and behold, here we are. That means that a potential launch in the first half of 2027 may also happen. Fingers crossed

Kena: Scars of Kosmora Release Date

Another sequel to file into the “bigger and more ambitious” category, Scars of Kosmora marks the return of the intrepid spirit guide, except she’s tougher and possesses more combat prowess. Based on what we’ve seen thus far, some new gameplay, a peek at Kena’s abilities and maybe some more gorgeous sights from Kosmora feel appropriate to showcase. And what better way to top it off than with a release date? As with Control Resonant, the clock is ticking, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Ember Lab wants to fill that “nowhere near GTA 6” slot as well.

Silent Hill: Townfall Release Window

Konami had quite the presence at February’s State of Play. You could call it a one-off to fill some time, but the fact that Silent Hill: Townfall is launching this year, exclusively on PS5 and PC, is set in stone. For now. I’m predicting something different at State of Play – a release window, with a more definitive release date sometime later (maybe at Gamescom Opening Night Live). It all comes down to development progress, which we’re completely in the dark on. Maybe Konami gives this smaller team (backed by Annapurna but still) some more time and delays it, or it goes ahead, marking a third straight year of Silent Hill. Either way, a simple “Autumn” couldn’t hurt, right?

Marvel’s Wolverine Reveals More Characters

You already know that Insomniac is going to show more from Marvel’s Wolverine, and maybe even open up pre-orders afterwards. But besides diving into the nitty-gritty and goriness of combat, who’s to say that some unannounced characters can’t show up? Perhaps, say, other members of the X-Men with a close connection to Logan? If nothing else, it would make for a hype moment (and maybe even more encouragement to pre-order).

Intergalactic Resurfaces

Last December, Naughty Dog was allegedly targeting mid-2027 for the launch of Intergalactic. Things may very well have changed since, so will Sony take a chance and reveal more now, maybe even committing to a vague release window for next year? Or will its current offerings be enough, and instead, it saves the announcement for a later occasion, giving the team more time to figure out where it’s at? Whatever the case, the fact that there’s only one PlayStation Studios console exclusive left for this calendar year means it needs to get the hype rolling for 2027. With NateTheHate claiming other exclusives at State of Play besides Marvel’s Wolverine and Faye’s game, Intergalactic is looking likely.

More MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Reveals

As the days count down to its August launch, and Arc System Works is less coy about revealing more characters, you can’t tell me it won’t repeat that pattern at State of Play. After all, players have already gone hands-on with the latest build featuring the Fighting Avengers. Maybe this next reveal will accompany an open beta announcement for July to incorporate any remaining feedback. And if ever there was a time for some villains to take center stage, this would be it.

Uncharted Returns

Shaun Escayg, creative director on whatever unknown project Naughty Dog is working on, I’ve come to bargain. That “research photo” in a location that feels more than vaguely fitting for the Uncharted franchise can’t be a fluke, and neither can all those rumors over the years about…something, be it remaster or sequel. Is it finally time to make the big announcement? Will there be a better time later (don’t say The Game Awards)? It’s a strong “maybe” either way.

Break In/Fairgame$

No more content updates for Destiny 2, Marathon not exactly setting the market on fire (even though Season 2 looks good)…who’s to say that Sony won’t just rip the band-aid off and re-reveal Fairgame$? Based on a recent trademark called Break In, it could be renamed, assuming that isn’t just a marketing tagline, and we may see a different (but still vaguely similar) heisting experience. Regardless, you probably shouldn’t expect a shadow drop, seeing as rumored playtests haven’t been going great.

Until Dawn 2 Announcement

Another PlayStation title that’s been a long time coming, but, you know, in a more positive way. Rumored since 2022, after a job description about a “triple-A narrative-driven horror-adventure game” following Sony’s acquisition of Firesprite. Rumored again in 2024 by Xbox Era. And then what should appear at the end of the Until Dawn remake but two new scenes, potentially hinting at something in the future? If it’s indeed happening – and not canned because of that awful movie – then it’s high time for an announcement.

Marvel’s Venom Announcement

While Insomniac Games tinkers away on Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 – rumor or not, you know it’s eventually happening – we may get Marvel’s Venom before. Jason Schreier refuted reports that the project was canned following voice actor Tony Todd’s passing, but its current development state remains unknown. Maybe Insomniac is saving it for a rainy day next Fall, when Sony needs a big exclusive. Hey, if it works for Nintendo and their first-party titles, why not for PlayStation? In that sense, if a reveal happens, a release window remains a toss-up.

Media Molecule’s Next Game

It’s been three years now since Media Molecule wrapped up support on Dreams and confirmed a new project was in the works. More recently, a designer’s portfolio indicated that it features “open-world content.” Correlation doesn’t necessarily imply causation, though – neither of these two things means a State of Play reveal. But maybe the studio will confirm that it’s progressing smoothly, as a treat.

Resident Evil Requiem Story Expansion Reveal

A big announcement like the long-rumored Resident Evil – Code: Veronica Remake at Summer Game Fest, much like Resident Evil Requiem last year, sounds plausible enough. But the company could still unveil something Resident Evil-related before that. A trailer for the story expansion, perhaps confirming that Leon is the star, coupled with a tease of the allegedly included Ada Wong? It’s not impossible, especially with all the updates since Requiem’s launch, but gameplay and a release date may be a bit much.

Kingdom Hearts 4 Update

Speaking of which, it’s now over four years since the next mainline Kingdom Hearts was announced. At this point, we’re beginning to feel as stuck as Sora, desperately seeking something, anything new. With creative director Tetsuya Nomura claiming that the team is “working hard” towards the series’ 25th anniversary, which is next year, any news in 2026 may seem unlikely. But this is Kingdom Hearts and Nomura, so keep an open mind and expect the unexpected.

Untitled John Wick Game

After the surprise announcement of Saber Interactive’s untitled prequel to the blockbuster film series at the last State of Play…well, we want to see more. And since Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake, which Saber took over since splitting from Embracer, is looking unlikely, I’m thinking that maybe John Wick is back again. Here’s hoping he brings an official title for the game this time around.

New details are a given, but Insomniac will also dive deeper into the combat. The studio previously said that it wouldn’t open pre-orders until it revealed more about the action-adventure, so keep that wallet ready after its appearance. If it follows the same pricing as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Ghost of Yōtei and Saros, expect to pony up $70.

Now for the real question: What else can fans look forward to? Despite allegedly targeting mid-2027, it’s probably time for Naughty Dog to reveal some gameplay for Intergalactic, its new sci-fi IP, which reportedly offers an Elden Ring-like experience. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls should also appear, revealing even more characters ahead of its launch in August.

It also wouldn’t be surprising if Silent Hill: Townfall received a new trailer, complete with a release date and more gameplay. On the live service front, it’s possible that Marathon could appear, especially since Season 2: NIGHTFALL kicks off on the same day. Could this finally be the showcase that Haven Studios’ Fairgame$ re-emerges? Time will tell, so stay tuned (and fingers crossed for new Saros content).

According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier on Bluesky, the decision was allegedly made at a recent town hall meeting, which means a public announcement is likely coming soon. Last March, he reported that Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Yōtei was originally slated for PC release. Unfortunately, plans changed.

This is apparently due to a “faction within PlayStation” that was wary of PC ports because they could harm the brand and affect PS5 sales. The company reportedly decided on this shift last year, with insider NateTheHate noting that Sony “no longer appears” to be prioritizing the platform.

Of course, this essentially means that Housemarque’s recently released Saros and Insomniac’s upcoming Marvel’s Wolverine, due on September 15th, won’t arrive on PC. The same goes for Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic, allegedly targeting mid-2027.

It’s worth noting that this applies only to narrative single-player titles, Sony’s bread and butter; hence, why MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Horizon Hunters Gathering, and more were announced for PC alongside PS5. Schreier previously noted that Sony could change plans once again – such is the nature of supply and demand – but for now, the focus is on catering to console players with its biggest titles.

The publisher doesn’t completely ignore their existence, of course – see 2024’s Astro Bot, which features numerous cameos and nods to the franchises that defined PlayStation’s history. However, it may be looking into bringing some of them back.

Following VGC’s Jordan Middler claim that an “inFamous thing” is happening at PlayStation without any involvement from Sucker Punch, insider NateTheHate said he hadn’t heard the same. He then added that, “There is truth to Sony exploring and considering reviving some of their older, unused IPs.”

Of course, the key words are “exploring” and “considering” rather than “actively pursuing” or “currently developing.” It’s easy to understand why – Naughty Dog has been busy with The Last of Us and Uncharted series, with its next new title, Intergalactic, allegedly launching in 2027. Sucker Punch released Ghost of Yōtei to rave reviews and 3.3 million sales in its first month, though its co-op mode, Legends, is no longer slated to receive updates.

Then there’s Insomniac, which is working on Marvel’s Wolverine and may still have the long-rumored Marvel’s Venom releasing at some point. Sony could pull a Konami and license its IPs to third-party studios, but it’s yet to officially announce its interest in doing so.

While the post itself isn’t available anymore, other social media users have managed to grab screenshots. You can check it out below. Whether this game will be a new mainline entry featuring the number “3” in its title, or whether it will be another spin-off in the vein of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, is currently unknown. It is worth noting that neither Sony nor Insomniac Games has made any official statement about a new Marvel’s Spider-Man game.

Jordan made his debut as the face of Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, where he replaced original face model John Bubniak. At the time, Insomniac Games creative director Bryan Initihar said that the change was related to “finding a better facial match for actor Yuri Lowenthal.”

In the meantime, Marvel’s Wolverine is being developed for PS5 and is slated for release on September 15th. The studio announced the release date with a social media post back in February, where it also linked to its PlayStation Store page so fans could add it to their wishlists.

While wishlists may be live, Insomniac Games hasn’t yet started pre-orders for the title. When asked about this, the studio said, “We want to show you more of the game first.” This indicates that there will be a Marvel’s Wolverine-centric State of Play showcase between now and the game’s release.

Marvel’s Wolverine is going to be an entirely new story revolving around James “Logan” Howlett. The narrative will focus on Logan’s attempts to regain his memories, with several antagonistic factions and individuals trying their best to stop him. Some of the enemies that players will get to face include Reavers, Sentinels, and even iconic comic book characters like Omega Red. As is often the case with many X-Men stories, Mystique will also be involved in the story with her own motivations.

Logan’s voice actor, Liam J McIntyre, had taken to social media back in February to discuss his work with the game. In a post, he wrote that he had been “working on this for almost as long as my son has been alive. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time…not long now!!!”

The actor has previously also praised Insomniac Games. ” It means so much to us, and especially the developers who are pouring EVERYTHING into making this the game you dream of,” he wrote back in November 2025. “You rock. Can’t wait to show you more next year.

Interestingly, a report from back in January has indicated that Sony is treating the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 – out on November 19th – like a PS5-exclusive. To that end, the company has also planned the release dates for its other games, like Marvel’s Wolverine, to appropriately avoid “the blast zone” that will be created when Rockstar’s game finally comes out.

Former PC Planner and Insights Manager at PlayStation, Jerry Liu, who worked at the company between January 2021 and June 2023, has noted that his work at Sony helped the unit “grow from $0-300M in net revenue” over the span of three years.

To achieve this, his responsibilities included optimizing promotional strategies and forecasting budgets for PlayStation’s PC portfolio, providing insight and business cases to try and convince leadership to “pursue more aggressive pricing” strategies, analyzing the PlayStation back catalog, and developing forecast models and sales targets. Interestingly, he noted that his strategies for aggressive pricing led to an increase in gross revenue from PC releases by 25 percent.

Last month, a report had indicated that Sony was originally going to bring its recent and upcoming single-player titles—namely, last year’s Ghost of Yōtei and the upcoming Saros—to PC. However, the company has seemingly decided against this and has cancelled work on any ports that were in progress. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, those “familiar with the company’s plans” said that a “faction within PlayStation” was unsure about porting its first-party games over to PC to begin with.

A major reason for this was apparently the belief that it would harm the sales of PlayStation hardware in the long term. While PS5 sales would also be affected, subsequent console releases might have also started facing trouble, as well as the brand as a whole.

In a more recent forum post, Schreier had said that Sony was going to make its plans to stop releasing single-player games on PC official “at some point.” It is unknown, however, when this will be, and could range from a simple social media post to a comment to its investors during an earnings call.

Despite these plans, however, Sony wants to continue bringing multiplayer titles to PC alongside their PS5 releases. The immense success of Helldivers 2 likely had a role to play in this, and upcoming games like Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls and Horizon Hunters Gathering are already confirmed for PC releases. This move makes sense, since cross-platform multiplayer on these titles also ends up ensuring that PS5 players won’t have to worry about low player counts with PC players bolstering the game.

This also means that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach might very well be the last single-player PlayStation game to come out on PC. However, it is worth noting that Kojima Productions isn’t a first-party developer under PlayStation Studios. Sony simply published the game, and likely has little say on whether or not the studio brings its games to more platforms. A report from last week has indicated that its PC launch was quite successful too, with more than 2 million sales since release.

And while there’s always the possibility Sony changes course, it’s reportedly looking to solidify this stance soon. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier said on Resetera that the company would confirm the same “at some point,” “whether it’s on a call with investors or maybe even when Housemarque starts doing press for Saros, and someone asks if they have plans to bring it to PC and they say no.”

Given how Returnal, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and other high-profile ports have performed on PC, it’s somewhat understandable that Sony is pulling back. Of course, there’s also the possibility that it doesn’t want to make future titles playable on Microsoft’s Project Helix, the next-generation console that will play both Xbox and PC games.

Which isn’t to say that no PlayStation Studios titles will ever launch for the same – see Horizon Hunters Gathering, coming to PS5 and PC. However, Sony is seemingly aware of the value its single-player titles bring, especially when they’re console-exclusive.

As always, we’ll need to wait for official confirmation, so stay tuned. Saros launches on April 30th for PS5, followed by Marvel’s Wolverine on September 15th.