Jade Raymond Leaves Fairgames Amid Sony's Live Service Challenges

Jade Raymond has departed from Haven Studios, the Sony-owned developer behind the online multiplayer shooter Fairgames. This departure comes after an external test of the game reportedly did not meet expectations, leading to a delay from its planned fall 2025 release to spring 2026. Bloomberg reports that PlayStation leadership did not provide Haven staff with a specific reason for Raymond's exit, which occurred several weeks following the test. Some developers at Haven expressed concerns about the game's reception and progress.

Despite this setback, Sony remains committed to Haven and Fairgames, with Marie-Eve Danis and Pierre-François Sapinski stepping in as new co-studio heads. This development adds to the challenges facing Sony's live service strategy, which has seen mixed results. While Helldivers 2 by Arrowhead became a breakout success, selling 12 million copies in just 12 weeks, other projects have faced significant hurdles.

Sony's Concord is a notable example of these challenges, experiencing a disastrous launch and being taken offline shortly after due to extremely low player engagement. Subsequently, Sony decided to cancel the game and close its developer. This follows the cancellation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer project and two other unannounced live service games earlier this year, including a God of War title from Bluepoint and another from Bend Studio, known for Days Gone.

In February 2022, Sony announced ambitious plans to launch over 10 live service games by March 2026, aiming to cater to different genres and audiences. The company invested heavily in studio acquisitions, including Destiny developer Bungie, Haven Studios, and Firewalk Studios, which has since been shuttered. However, in 2023, Sony president Hiroki Totoki announced a review of the 12 live service games in development, committing to launch only six by the end of the financial year 2025. Totoki emphasized that quality should be the foremost priority for gamers.

Bungie continues to uphold Sony's live service efforts with the ongoing Destiny 2 and the upcoming Marathon, set for a full launch later this year. Additionally, Sony recently unveiled a new PlayStation studio, teamLFG, and teased its debut live service project. Guerrilla’s Horizon multiplayer game is also in the works, indicating that despite setbacks, Sony's commitment to live service games persists.