"Sony's Live Service Struggles Persist: Jade Raymond Leaves Fairgames Amid Testing Concerns"

Jade Raymond has left Haven Studios, the Sony-owned developer behind the online multiplayer shooter Fairgames, with the game reportedly delayed following an external test. This development marks another setback for PlayStation's live service ambitions.

According to Bloomberg, Raymond departed the company she founded several weeks after an external test of Fairgames, which apparently did not meet expectations. Initially slated for release in fall 2025, the game's launch has now been pushed back to spring 2026.

Bloomberg reported:

PlayStation leadership did not provide Haven staff with a reason for her departure, but it occurred several weeks after an external test of Haven's debut game, the online shooter Fairgames, according to sources familiar with the matter. Some developers at Haven expressed concerns about the game's reception and progress, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Sony remains committed to Haven and Fairgames, with new co-studio heads Marie-Eve Danis and Pierre-François Sapinski taking the helm.

This is yet another challenge for Sony's embattled live service strategy, which seems to be facing significant hurdles. While Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 achieved remarkable success, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever with 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks, other live service titles have either been canceled or suffered disastrous launches.

Sony's Concord is a notable example of a video game disaster, lasting only a few weeks before being taken offline due to extremely low player numbers. Sony eventually decided to terminate the game and close its developer.

The failure of Concord followed the cancellation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer game. Earlier this year, Sony reportedly canceled two unannounced live service games: one a God of War project at Bluepoint and another at Days Gone developer Bend.

In February 2022, Sony announced plans to launch over 10 live service games by March 2026, aiming to cater to different genres and audiences. The company made significant investments in studio acquisitions, including Destiny developer Bungie, Jade Raymond's Haven Studios, and the now-defunct Firewalk Studios.

However, in 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki revealed that the company was reassessing the 12 live service PlayStation games in development, committing to launch only six by the end of the financial year 2025, or by March 2026. Totoki emphasized that Sony was still determining the release schedule for the remaining six games, stating: "It's not that we stick to certain titles, but for the gamers quality should be the most important.”

Bungie continues to uphold the live service banner with the ongoing Destiny 2 and the upcoming full launch of Marathon later this year. Earlier this month, Sony announced a new PlayStation studio called teamLFG and hinted at its debut live service incubation project. Additionally, Guerrilla’s Horizon multiplayer game remains in development.