Sony games boss says company will bravely keep sending live services over the top, despite cancelling 8 of the 12 ones planned for 2025 and wiping out most of Destiny 2’s developers
Sony has significantly scaled back its live service gaming ambitions after a challenging 2025, cancelling eight of twelve planned releases for that year, including the ill-fated Concord. The company continued this trend into 2026 by shutting down Destiny 2, a title that had previously been considered one of the market’s most successful live service games. The closures resulted in substantial layoffs, with most of Destiny 2’s development team affected.
Despite this apparent reversal of strategy, Sony’s games leadership remains committed to live service development. In a recent interview with Famitsu, a Sony Interactive Entertainment executive doubled down on the company’s investment in the live service sector, suggesting the company views these setbacks as growing pains rather than a fundamental strategic failure. The executive noted that “the genre itself is relatively new,” implying Sony sees live services as an emerging area where learning curves and failures are expected as the industry matures.
The contradiction between Sony’s significant portfolio cutbacks and its stated confidence in live services highlights the tension within the gaming industry around live service viability. While established titles like Destiny 2 have struggled to maintain profitability or player engagement, Sony appears unwilling to fully abandon the segment despite mounting evidence of financial risk. The company’s approach suggests it believes successful live service games require sustained investment and iteration, positioning the cancellations as part of a refinement process rather than a strategic pivot.