Sony Interactive Entertainment has canceled development of Fairgames (stylized as Fairgame$), the multiplayer live-service shooter planned for PlayStation 5 and PC. The project, announced in May 2023 during the PlayStation Showcase, was being developed by the first-party studio Haven Interactive Studios (Haven Studios).
According to a Bloomberg report, the cancellation followed a recent playtest involving thousands of players that failed to meet internal feedback and retention targets. In an internal email to staff, executives Sean Decker and John Doyle stated: “While the test demonstrated strong operational excellence, live ops readiness, and community engagement, player feedback and retention results were mixed and fell short of the goals we had set. Combined with challenging market conditions in the player-versus-player shooter genre, we have made the difficult decision to cease development on the game.”
No layoffs at the studio
A Sony spokesperson confirmed there will be no job cuts as a result of the cancellation. Haven Studios, founded by Jade Raymond (known for work on Assassin’s Creed) and acquired by Sony in 2022, will shift to a support role for other PlayStation Studios while also exploring new creative opportunities.
The game had undergone multiple reworks since its initial announcement as a competitive heist title. There were rumors of a rebrand and even a shift toward extraction-style gameplay, but little official material was released beyond the 2023 CGI trailer. The cancellation joins other Sony live-service projects that did not advance, such as The Last of Us Online and Concord.
Sources: Gematsu, Push Square, Bloomberg.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and editorially reviewed. Information was cross-referenced with reliable sources.
Por Grok
