In Sony’s most recent earnings call, the company quietly announced an ambitious plan to launch more than ten live-service games by the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. That’s over ten new projects launching in just four years.
Sony recently acquired Bungie, developers of one of the most successful live-services games in Destiny 2 just days before this earnings call, and will be closely collaborating with Bungie to make use of the “expertise and technology” it has developed in the live-service games space.
Based on already existing reports as well as past/present job listings, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of ten developers and studios that will likely be taking on some of Sony’s live-service game projects.
Naughty Dog – The Last of Us: Factions project
The multiplayer spinoff for The Last of Us sequel is still being worked on, according to a recent blog post from Naughty Dog. The developers made the decision not to include Factions, the original online game mode included in the first game, in the sequel back in September 2019. But the blog post two years later confirmed that they are still working on it and currently hiring for the project.
At the time of writing, there are several multiplayer-oriented job openings at Naughty Dog, including environment designer, economy designer, systems designer, and technical designer. Particularly the listing for the economy designer heavily indicates that Factions will exist as a live-service multiplayer game, with numerous responsibilities focused primarily on monetization, revenue, and retention.
Bungie – Project “Matter”
Sony and Playstation will be heavily relying on Bungie for its contributions to its larger live-service plans. Obviously, the continued support and development of Destiny 2 will be a foundational part of that, but Sony is also looking forward to one of Bungie’s future projects.
That project goes by the name of “Project Matter,” rumored to be a competitive PvP title with a heavy focus on esports potential. Earlier in 2021, Bungie put up a job listing for an Incubation Multiplayer Systems Designer to create “competitive multiplayer game mechanics that provide strategic depth and opportunities for counterplay,” according to the job listing. Another listing first shared by Dexerto was looking for a Gameplay/Combat Designer with experience in “character-focused action games.”
The idea of a character-based strategic multiplayer game with counterplay elements draws a lot of comparisons to games like Overwatch and VALORANT, but it’s too early to start guessing what the project could look like. Both listings are no longer open, indicating that perhaps Bungie has already brought people in to start working on its new project.
Guerilla Games – Unannounced project
The Guerilla Games studio has been a foundational part of the Sony lineup for years, and after several successful Killzone releases, it had its breakout performance in 2017 with the launch of the critically acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn. The sequel to that game, Horizon Forbidden West, is one of the most highly anticipated titles of a stacked 2022 release calendar, but the Dutch studio is already looking ahead to new ventures.
Back in November 2021, Push Square reported that Guerilla Games had posted a job listing for a Project Quality Assurance lead on an “upcoming project,” and is seeking candidates with three+ years of experience with online or live-service game experience. That listing is still open as of the time of writing.
Insomniac – Unannounced multiplayer Marvel project
Insomniac Games has been a pivotal part of Sony’s success in video games for over two decades, particularly via the iconic Ratchet & Clank and Spyro series. More recently, it has thrived thanks to Marvel and Sony’s partnership, releasing the widely acclaimed Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales titles, with Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine coming in the future.
Eurogamer reported on a potential multiplayer title back in June 2021, after Insomniac tweeted out a fresh round of job listings that included a Multiplayer Systems Designer. A few months later, reports surfaced that Sony was looking to develop a PlayStation-exclusive multiplayer title set in the Marvel universe, with many signs pointing towards Insomniac.
Other studios
- Haven Studios – The new studio founded by EA/Ubisoft veteran Jade Raymond went on a hiring spree months after it was formed, and focused on hiring people to work on a new online project with exclusive, new IP for Sony.
- Sucker Punch – The developers of the widely acclaimed Ghost of Tsushima have several job listings available for people to work on a “spectacular multiplayer game.” The team previously worked on co-op multiplayer via the Ghost of Tsushima: Legends free expansion.
- PlayStation London Studio – Several listings for London Studio are seeking to bring in people to work on an “upcoming PlayStation 5 online game,” particularly folks that have worked on live-service games.
- Firewalk Studios – Firewalk is a new studio currently working on “an unannounced, original IP” as part of its partnership with Sony. The studio is led by “seasoned developers who know and love multiplayer games,” and is hiring people with “live game” experience.
- Deviation Games – Deviation is a studio led by former Treyarch chief Jason Blundell, and announced back in June 2021 it is working on a “AAA original IP” with Sony. The game went into “full production” starting in 2022, and many expect it to be a first-person-shooter based on the development history of Blundell and other team members.
- Firesprite – Firesprite is reportedly taking over the unannounced Twisted Metal reboot from Lucid Games, due to the poor reception of Lucid’s Destruction All-Stars. Initial reports from 2021 said that the Twisted Metal reboot would be free-to-play, supported by cosmetic purchases.
