Sony President says live service games are still a big push for PlayStation's first-party studios

Sony's foray into first- and third-party "live service" games for the PlayStation 5 generation has been widely reported on and criticized by fans for its impact on cinematic single-player games. Case in point: the studio behind Uncharted and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog, spent several years working on a Last of Us live-service multiplayer game that was subsequently canceled. The thinking here is that it could have invested that time into a third single-player game or something else.

2

Throw in recent high-profile failures like Concord, the lukewarm response to Horizon Zero Dawn spin-off Horizon Hunters Gathering, and the 'competitive heist game' Fairgame$ being missing-in-action, and you get the impression that Sony is probably looking to adjust its approach to focusing on massive live-service games. Or, at the very least, realize how difficult it is to create a live service smash hit, as Bungie's Marathon (pictured above) continues to draw a small but passionate fanbase.

In a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu (translated), Hideaki Nishino, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), was asked about the company's live-service game strategy with the context of Concord and Marathon failing to make an impact or meet expectations.

"We believe that live-service games are content that attracts users on a global scale, so we want to continue revitalizing the market through first-party and third-party content," Hideaki Nishino said, confirming that first and third-party investments in live-service games will continue. "Not only does it appeal to new titles, but we are also considering mid- to long-term possibilities that can be done with older titles, for example, Genshin Impact. We also ran campaigns for new PS5 purchasers, offering 10% off in-game currency."

Hideaki Nishino name-drops the new fighting game from Guilty Gear studio Arc System Works, which it's publishing called MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls, as being its next big live-service game release on August 6, 2026. As a follow-up question, Famitsu asks whether Sony will "continue as before" with live-service games. That is, invest in Concord, Marathon-sized projects. And the answer is, yes.

"That's right," Hideaki Nishino confirms. "For live service games, it's important to consistently provide something. The genre itself is relatively new, and I think many people are trying various things, so we want to keep challenging ourselves within that framework.