"Sony's Live Service Struggles Persist: Jade Raymond Leaves Fairgames Developer Post-External Test Concerns"

Jade Raymond has departed Haven Studios, the Sony-owned studio developing the online multiplayer shooter Fairgames, following reports of a poorly received external test and subsequent delay of the game—marking yet another setback for PlayStation’s live service strategy.

As reported by Bloomberg, Raymond left the studio she founded several weeks after an external test of Fairgames reportedly failed to meet expectations. Originally slated for a fall 2025 release, the title has now been pushed back to spring 2026.

According to sources close to the matter:

PlayStation leadership did not provide Haven staff with specific details regarding her departure, which occurred several weeks after the external test of Fairgames. Some team members expressed concerns about the reception of the game and its overall progress. The individuals involved requested anonymity due to non-disclosure agreements.

Despite the change in leadership, Sony remains committed to Haven Studios and the development of Fairgames. Leadership will now be shared by newly appointed co-studio heads Marie-Eve Danis and Pierre-François Sapinski.

This latest development adds to the growing list of challenges facing Sony’s live service initiative, which appears to be losing momentum. While Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2 became a massive success—selling 12 million copies within 12 weeks—many of Sony’s other live service titles have either been canceled or launched to poor reception.

The ill-fated Concord stands out as one of PlayStation’s most notable failures. The game was shut down just weeks after launch due to extremely low player engagement, eventually leading to the closure of its development studio.

Before that, Sony canceled Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us multiplayer project, and earlier this year, it reportedly scrapped two unannounced live service titles—one a God of War spinoff being developed at Bluepoint Games, the other in early stages at Bend Studio, creators of Days Gone.

Back in February 2022, Sony laid out ambitious plans to release more than ten live service games by March 2026, aiming to reach diverse audiences across multiple genres. As part of this push, the company acquired several studios, including Bungie, Firewalk Studios (now closed), and Haven Studios.

However, during a 2023 financial briefing, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced that the company had reviewed its portfolio of 12 live service titles and decided to focus on launching only six by the end of the fiscal year 2025 (March 2026). He emphasized that while the remaining projects were still under evaluation, quality would remain the top priority: “It's not that we stick to certain titles, but for the gamers, quality should be the most important.”

Bungie continues to lead the live service charge with Destiny 2 thriving and Marathon scheduled for full release later this year. Additionally, Sony recently unveiled a new internal studio called teamLFG, currently working on a live service title. Guerrilla Games is also developing a multiplayer entry in the Horizon series, keeping some hope alive for the future of live service at PlayStation.