On the tenth of November, PlayStation told its staff that Fairgames, a shooter that had been years in the making at its Montreal subsidiary Haven Studios, would not reach players after all. The reasons offered were a test that drew thousands of players but left retention short of what the company had hoped for, and a genre that has grown harsh for player-versus-player games. It is one more chapter in a broader story of ambitious live-service bets meeting the limits of a crowded market, where even a studio with real promise can find its work set aside. For now, the people at Haven are being ask
PlayStation Cancels Live-Service Shooter 'Fairgames' After Mixed Test Results
Reworked several times over three years, Fairgames never got its re-reveal
Mark
Why does one cancelled shooter matter?
Mimi
Because Fairgames was part of a much larger bet. PlayStation said it would release more than a dozen live-service games, and Bloomberg reports that effort has mostly been unsuccessful.
Mark
The email praised the test in some ways, though.
Mimi
Yes. Strong operational excellence, live ops readiness, community engagement. But player feedback and retention were mixed and short of the goals.
Luke
Worth noting we don't know the actual retention numbers or the targets. "Fell short" is the company's own characterization, and the reporting gives no figures.
Mark
And the genre problem?
Mimi
The executives cited challenging market conditions in PVP shooters as a second factor.
Luke
That's their explanation too. The source doesn't say how much weight each factor carried.
Mark
What about the people at Haven?
Mimi
PlayStation says there are no job cuts, and the studio will work with other PlayStation Studios teams.
Luke
That's a statement of intent today. It doesn't say what Haven will actually build next, and the reporting doesn't either.
Le Pouls
- A long-delayed shooter that had already been reworked several times was abruptly pulled after a large player test came back mixed.
- The news reached staff by email, leaving a planned re-reveal under a new title with nothing to show.
- Haven Studios now faces an uncertain path, shifting toward collaboration with other PlayStation teams while exploring fresh creative ideas.
- Assurances that no jobs will be lost ease the alarm, yet the wider live-service push keeps losing ground and further retrenchment looms.
On the tenth of November, PlayStation told its staff that Fairgames, a shooter that had been years in the making at its Montreal subsidiary Haven Studios, would not reach players after all. The reasons offered were a test that drew thousands of players but left retention short of what the company had hoped for, and a genre that has grown harsh for player-versus-player games. It is one more chapter in a broader story of ambitious live-service bets meeting the limits of a crowded market, where even a studio with real promise can find its work set aside. For now, the people at Haven are being asked to lend their craft to other teams rather than to a game of their own.
On November 10, an email reached PlayStation employees announcing the end of one of the company's longest-running projects. Fairgames, the online shooter in development at Haven Studios in Montreal, was being cancelled. The note, signed by executives Sean Decker and John Doyle, and reviewed by Bloomberg News, said a recent test with thousands of players had not met expectations. The company praised the test for operational strength, live ops readiness and community engagement, but player feedback and retention results were mixed and fell short of its goals.
The executives also pointed to the market, describing challenging conditions in the PvP shooter genre as a reason for the difficult decision. Fairgames had been announced in 2023 as part of PlayStation's push into live-service games, which earn money through in-game purchases long after release. Over three years it had been reworked several times and was due for a re-reveal under a new name, which will now not happen.
A PlayStation spokesperson said no one will lose a job because of the decision. Haven will instead focus on working with other PlayStation Studios teams and explore new creative opportunities. The move follows a pattern: the company has cancelled several games and closed multiple studios in recent years, including Bluepoint and Dark Outlaw Games, and its live-service initiative, which once promised more than a dozen titles, has largely struggled. What comes next is where Haven's team lands and whether other live-service projects share the same fate.
On November 10, an email went out to PlayStation employees with news that ended one of the company's longest-running projects. Fairgames, an online shooting game under development at Haven Studios, Sony's subsidiary in Montreal, was being cancelled.
The note came from executives Sean Decker and John Doyle, and Bloomberg News reviewed it. It said a recent test with thousands of players had not delivered what PlayStation expected. The executives credited the test with showing strong operational excellence, live ops readiness and community engagement. But player feedback and retention results, they wrote, were mixed and fell short of the goals the company had set.
The market was the second reason they gave. Citing challenging conditions in the PVP shooter genre, they said the company had made the difficult decision to cease development.
Fairgames was announced in 2023. It was part of PlayStation's push into so-called live-service games, which keep earning money through in-game purchases long after release. Over the last three years the game was reworked several times, and it was slated for a re-reveal under a new title. That re-reveal will now not happen.
A PlayStation spokesperson said the cancellation will not cost anyone a job. In a statement, the company said Haven will shift its focus to collaborating with other development teams across PlayStation Studios, while also exploring new creative opportunities.
The decision fits a pattern Bloomberg describes. PlayStation has cancelled several games and closed multiple studios in recent years, among them Bluepoint and Dark Outlaw Games. The live-service initiative, for which the company had said it would release more than a dozen games, has mostly been unsuccessful.
What to watch next is where Haven's team lands within PlayStation Studios, and whether other projects in the live-service lineup meet the same fate.
Citations marquantes
Player feedback and retention results were mixed and fell short of the goals we had set.— Sean Decker and John Doyle, PlayStation executives, in an email to employees
The studio will shift its focus to collaborating with other development teams across PlayStation Studios.— PlayStation statement
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