Sony Cancels Two Live-Service Games, Stays Committed to Long-Term Monetization

Anusuya Lahiri

January 17, 2025

Sony Group Corp’s (NYSE:SONY) PlayStation dumped two unannounced live service projects at Syphon Filter and Days Gone developer Bend Studio and God of War game developer Bluepoint Games after a strategic review, Bloomberg reports.

PlayStation is currently discussing with the studios how to determine their following projects.

PlayStation remains aggressively invested in live-service games, which can be monetized months and years after their launch.

Also Read: WWE, Squid Game Fuel Netflix Ad-Supported Growth: Analyst Sets $1,000 Price Forecast

Sony’s strategy bore it a hit in 2024’s Helldivers II and several flops, including Concord, prompting it to cancel several live-service games over the last few years, including one based on Spider-Man.

Sony sold 3.8 million PlayStation5 units in the fiscal second quarter of 2024, compared to 4.9 million a year ago. Sony’s Game & Network Services revenue rose 12% to 1.07 trillion Japanese yen (on top of consolidated sales of ¥2.91 trillion), and operating income grew 184% to ¥138.8 billion.

The video game industry battled challenges in the last two years, including losing thousands of jobs. Notable gaming studio closures included Netlix Inc’s (NASDAQ:NFLX) Southern California AAA game studio, Team Blue, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc’s (NASDAQ:TTWO) London’s Roll7 and Seattle’s Intercept Games, Microsoft Corp’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) several video-game studios within its Xbox division, and NetEase Inc’s (NASDAQ:NTES) Ouka Studios.

Reportedly, Krafton Inc. of PUBG: Battlegrounds earmarked over 200 billion won ($136 million) to over twelve game studios in sync with its artificial intelligence investment.

Over the past two years, Krafton incurred $680 million in investment in game studios. It also tapped Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) to showcase more lifelike non-player characters in its Inzoi life simulation game.

Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, remains focused on its AI-driven game studio. It is challenging the giant game studios, which, according to the Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) chief, prioritize profit over player engagement and creativity.

Last October, JPMorgan analysts expressed optimism over mobile gaming trends and spending on consoles backed by the gaming pipeline.

Sony Group stock surged over 11% in the last 12 months. Investors can gain exposure to the stock through Avantis International Equity ETF (NYSE:AVDE) and Invesco International Dividend Achievers ETF (NASDAQ:PID).

Price Action: SONY stock traded higher by 1.13% at $20.55 premarket at last check Friday.

Also Read:

Microsoft’s Decision To Shut Down Arkane Austin Called ‘Stupid’ By Studio Founder

Photo via Shutterstock

Recommended

Bitcoin's Pullback Could Be Your Gain - Ad

Inside: What's Going on Behind the Scenes in DC? - Ad

This Company Could Challenge NVIDIA's Reign - Ad

HONG KONG (AP) — Alice Zhang, a 29-year-old marketer in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, has spent only roughly half what she did last year during the festival, switching to cheaper choices and giving up on buying new shoes after pay was cut by more than 20%.

Trump Has Some Tough Words For Marjorie Taylor Greene After Promising To 'Do Everything' He Can To Help Make Syria 'Successful'

Trump vows to make Syria successful after meeting with former al Qaeda commander, amid extended sanctions relief and GOP criticism.

Legally "Skim" $6,361 Into Your Account?

Legally "Skim" $6,361 Into Your Account? - Ad

A former hedge fund manager is now sharing his "Skim Codes" with regular people. They're not stocks. They're not crypto. They're 18-character codes designed to profit from recent market conditions. All you have to do is punch them into an ordinary brokerage account. 84% of these codes have given people the chance to generate cash payouts so far... and his next code is going out any day now.

Asian shares are mostly lower despite Wall St rally and a potential end to the US shutdown

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower on Tuesday as the recent rebound fueled by buying of technology shares lost steam.

Trump Threatens Air Traffic Controllers Amid Shutdown Chaos; Pete Buttigieg Says He 'Wouldn't Last Five Minutes' in Their Job

President Donald Trump has demanded that all air traffic controllers return to work as the nation's aviation system endured another wave of mass flight cancellations, caused by staffing shortages due to the prolonged government shutdown.

Elon's $25 Trillion Confession

Elon's $25 Trillion Confession - Ad

Elon Musk: "Tesla will become a $25 trillion company." That would make Tesla 8x bigger than Apple today. How is that possible? He admits it's all thanks to this one AI breakthrough that will take AI out of our computer screens and manifest a 250x boom here in the real world.

Lawsuit challenges TSA's ban on transgender officers conducting pat-downs

A Virginia transportation security officer is accusing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of sex discrimination over a policy that bars transgender officers from performing security screening pat-downs, according to a federal lawsuit.

16 Stocks To Buy If You Want To Escape The AI Hype

Bank of America is pointing investors toward 16 overlooked stocks with strong fundamentals and no direct ties to the AI boom—offering a safer path beyond the hype.

Trump Triggered 70% Gains Overnight -- This Rare Earths Stock Could Be Next

Trump Triggered 70% Gains Overnight -- This Rare Earths Stock Could Be Next - Ad

Trump's turning tiny mining stocks into overnight fortunes... and this little-known rare earths miner could be his next billion-dollar BUY. If Trump cuts a deal you could see a 50% to 200% pop overnight. But you must act before the next deal hits the wire.

Elon Musk Says Tesla, xAI Are 'Trending Towards Convergence' In Some Ways

Elon Musk's companies could potentially merge in the future as he continues to integrate AI into his ventures.

Shutdown to leave mark on US economy from lost paychecks, canceled flights

WASHINGTON (AP) — The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be nearing an end, but not without leaving a mark on an already-struggling economy.

The Market Just Crossed a Dangerous Line

The Market Just Crossed a Dangerous Line - Ad

The man who predicted the 2008 crash and 2020 says today's soaring markets are NOT a bubble - they're something far stranger and more dangerous. He says it's about to change everything you know about money.

Weekend Round-Up: TSMC Trade Secrets Lawsuit, Google Deepmind Scientist's Market Slam, Baidu Layoffs, Amazon's Court Victory And More

From allegations of trade secret leaks at Taiwan's TSMC to layoffs at Baidu Inc, here's a recap of tech news this week.

How Tyson's Chicken Business Will Offset Beef Weakness

Tyson shares rise as pricing catch-up expected to ease cost pressures; chicken strength offsets beef headwinds amid stable feed costs.

Weiss Gold Veteran Makes Shocking New Call

Weiss Gold Veteran Makes Shocking New Call - Ad

Weiss expert Sean Brodrick went out on a limb last year and declared a historic event would send the yellow metal to $3,150. People laughed at him at the time, but he was off by just two days. Now, Sean has a shocking new prediction for gold ... and reveals a little-known way to get ahead of this bull market.

Air travelers face frustration as FAA's further drop in flights takes effect

Air travelers could face as busy U.S. airports need to meet a higher Federal Aviation Administration target for reducing flights Tuesday after already canceling thousands to scale back demands on the nation’s aviation system during the .

Trump Bars South Africa From 2026 G20 Summit In Florida, Freezes Aid Over 'White Genocide'

President Donald Trump directed that South Africa will not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Miami, Florida. He also declared that all U.S. payments and subsidies to the country would be immediately suspended.

Trump Signs Law to Launch Dollar 2.0

Trump Signs Law to Launch Dollar 2.0 - Ad

Trump just signed law S.1582, unleashing the biggest money shift in 100+ years. For the first time since 1913, private firms - not the Fed - can mint a "Dollar 2.0." Treasury says it could drain $6.6T from banks and pay 10X current savings rates. Early investors in minting firms could see 40X returns by 2032.

Gen Z Takes To 'Income Stacking' As One Pay Check Falls Short

Gen Zers are turning to income stacking to secure their financial future as they fear a single paycheck won't be enough. AI and broken social contract fuel the shift. Side hustles becoming core of young careers.

Dogecoin Fakes A Rally Then Dumps 3%—But Why?

Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) fell close to 3% on Tuesday, as large holders shifted roughly $32 million worth of DOGE to exchanges, putting sellers back in control.

Investing Legend Hints the End May Be Near for These 3 Iconic Stocks

Investing Legend Hints the End May Be Near for These 3 Iconic Stocks - Ad

Futurist Eric Fry say Amazon, Tesla and Nvidia are all on the verge of major disruption. To help protect anyone with money invested in them, he's sharing three exciting stocks to replace them with. He gives away the names and tickers completely free in his brand-new "Sell This, Buy That" broadcast.

These 8 Democrats voted with Republicans on the government shutdown deal. Here's how they explain it

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Democratic senators — eight in total — faced almost instant blowback from members of their own party as to allow the Senate to move forward on that would reopen the government.

These are the 37 donors helping pay for Trump's $300 million White House ballroom

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his $300 million White House ballroom will be paid for “100% by me and some friends of mine.”

Bitcoin's Pullback Could Be Your Gain

Bitcoin's Pullback Could Be Your Gain - Ad

More than 70 cryptos have recently outperformed Bitcoin and it's not the first time. During crypto's last bull market the top 100 coins NOT named Bitcoin went up by 174%. Now the signs show that it's happening again. This could be a chance to strike gold in some far corners of the crypto market.

Silver Soars To Record Highs: It's Up 95% In 2025, The Best Year Since 1979

Silver prices surge over 5% as investors rush to secure metal amid tight supplies and global shortage concerns, driving up stocks and mining equities.

Trump's $2,000 Tariff Dividend Stumbles On Math: Cost Far Exceeds Revenue

Trump's $2,000 tariff rebate plan faces a major math gap, with estimated costs up to $606.8B—far exceeding tariff revenues in 2025 and 2026, says the Tax Foundation.

Inside: What's Going on Behind the Scenes in DC?

Inside: What's Going on Behind the Scenes in DC? - Ad

Former CIA officer Buck Sexton just met with Trump and VP J.D. Vance - and what he uncovered inside the West Wing is stunning. With ties to Tulsi Gabbard, Mike Johnson, Kash Patel, and more, he's rushing this urgent interview to reveal shocking secrets unfolding behind the scenes right now.

Trump Withdraws Support For 'Wacky' Marjorie Taylor Greene In Sudden, Fiery Split: 'I Can't Take...'

President Donald Trump said he is withdrawing his endorsement of longtime ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — here's what happened.

Trump's pardon of ex-Honduran president Hernández injects wild card into election

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — The day before Honduras , suddenly the main topics of conversation here shifted from domestic matters to and the former Honduran president he had pardoned.

This Company Could Challenge NVIDIA's Reign

This Company Could Challenge NVIDIA's Reign - Ad

This new chip can run at the speed of light and it's changing the game. "TF3" could replace silicon entirely and one American company is producing it commercially. Clients already include NASA and top medical research institutions. It's still under the radar - and that's the opportunity.

An archaeologist is racing to preserve Sudan's heritage as war threatens to erase its cultural past

PARIS (AP) — In a dimly lit office in a corner of the French National Institute for Art History, Sudanese archaeologist Shadia Abdrabo studies a photograph of pottery made in her country around 7,000 B.C. She carefully types a description of the Neolithic artifact into a spreadsheet.

Trump May Formally Offer Putin Control of Occupied Ukrainian Land in Proposed Peace Deal

The U.S. is reportedly prepared to formally acknowledge Russia's hold over Crimea and parts of eastern and southern Ukraine as part of a proposed agreement to end the war.

Legally "Skim" $6,361 Into Your Account?

Legally "Skim" $6,361 Into Your Account? - Ad

Paul Krugman Warns AI Rallies Driven By Rate-Cut Hopes Are 'Dead Cat Bounces' — Says It 'Bears an Unmistakable Resemblance' To The Dot-Com Era

Economist Paul Krugman is drawing sharp parallels between the current state of the AI trade and the final years of the dot-com boom in the 1990s, while warning that investors might be misreading the Federal Reserve's recent signals and actions.

FDA names longtime cancer scientist Pazdur to lead drug center

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday named a longtime regulator of cancer medicines to lead the agency's drug center, replacing the who was recently ousted after an .

Elon's $25 Trillion Confession

Elon's $25 Trillion Confession - Ad

Wendy's to close hundreds of US stores in bid to halt falling profit

Wendy’s plans to close hundreds U.S. restaurants over the next few months in an effort to boost its profit.

Rand Paul Slams GOP's Shift From Fiscal Conservatism: They Voted To Add '$5 Trillion' To The Debt Ceiling — Calls It 'Decimation'

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) slammed the Republican Party for abandoning the fiscal discipline it once championed, while accusing his colleagues of embracing massive governmental deficits and greenlighting spending levels they previously opposed.

Trump Triggered 70% Gains Overnight -- This Rare Earths Stock Could Be Next

Trump Triggered 70% Gains Overnight -- This Rare Earths Stock Could Be Next - Ad

A lost generation of news consumers? Survey shows how teenagers dislike the news media

NEW YORK (AP) — Cat Murphy, a college student, has wanted to be a journalist since she was 11. Many of her friends don't understand why.

Trending Now