PlayStation CEO Doubles Down on Live-Service as Market Push Continues
Even with PlayStation racking up far more losses than wins in the live-service space, CEO Hideaki Nishino says the company still intends to keep pushing forward—describing a plan to “continue revitalising the market.”
In the last two console cycles, runaway hits like Fortnite, Apex Legends, Warzone, and a long list of similar games have pulled nearly every publisher and studio toward the live-service model. Some teams have managed to strike gold, while many others have stumbled quickly and failed to keep the momentum going.
For PlayStation, the live-service track record has skewed heavily toward the “miss” side. Helldivers 2 stands out as a clear success—set aside the ongoing community friction—while ongoing support for titles like Gran Turismo suggests the model can work. However, outside of a handful of bright spots, most other live-service efforts have either been scrapped or delivered disappointing results. Still, PlayStation isn’t planning to slow down.
PlayStation CEO Says Live-Service Games “Attract Users On A Global Scale”
Try Telling That To Concord
As reported by VGC, Sony CEO Hideaki Nishino recently spoke with Famitsu during the outlet’s 40th anniversary coverage. Nishino was asked how PlayStation’s live-service projects have been received so far, and whether the company plans to keep investing in the format. He confirmed that it will, stressing that live-service games need to “provide something on an ongoing basis.”
The video game industry is in a precarious position right now.
Nishino also framed live-service games as “content that attracts users on a global scale,” and said PlayStation intends to keep “revitalising the market through both first-party and third-party content.” In other words, the company isn’t stepping away from live-service—it still sees the model as an important part of its broader strategy.
We already know PlayStation has multiple live-service initiatives coming up, including Horizon: The Gathering, Fairgames, and the Gummy Bears project that’s been linked to Bungie through rumors.
There’s a lot to respect in PlayStation’s stubborn commitment to the live-service idea, but the cost is ultimately paid by the studios that keep doubling down. Bungie’s recent round of mass layoffs is a reminder of how rough the stakes can get, especially after Destiny 2’s long run didn’t land the kind of outcome the company likely expected. Even major franchises can struggle to remain viable over time.
As players have already seen with Concord, which shut down in just two weeks, and with The Last of Us Online, live-service games tend to demand huge budgets and long development timelines. And that’s before factoring in the possibility that they never even reach launch. PlayStation has cancelled more live-service projects than it has released, with losses that include Twisted Metal, a God of War multiplayer effort, and even multiplayer Spider-Man.
Live-service games are undeniably a major part of today’s gaming landscape, but examples like Highguard show the model doesn’t stay sustainable for most teams. PlayStation has already had an extremely difficult time figuring out how to make it work, suffering major setbacks along the way—so it’s understandable that hearing the company remains just as focused on live-service releases raises eyebrows.
WHERE TO PLAY
We hereby conduct this post-mortem.
