PlayStation’s live-service blunders just keep piling up. The company has reportedly canceled Fairgames, an online shooter coming from new developer Haven Studios.
Videos by ComicBook.com
As reported by Bloomberg, the PS5 and PC game was canceled on November 9th after failing to meet certain quality benchmarks. The outlet got ahold of an alleged email from head of live services at PlayStation Studios Sean Decker and VP and head of production at PlayStation Studios John Doyle going over the bad news.
“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,” said the email. “Combined with challenging market conditions in the PVP shooter genre, we have made the difficult decision to cease development on the game.”
Fairgames Marks Yet Another Failure For PlayStation’s Live-Service Push
PlayStation has yet to formally announce the news, and Haven has also stayed mum. However, it seems inevitable that a more official announcement will come rather soon.
While cancelations of announced games typically come with drastic layoffs or outright studio closures, Haven will not undergo layoffs. Instead, Bloomberg’s report notes these developers will just be shifted to support teams on other projects. PlayStation acquired Haven in 2022, so it is a first-party studio.
Fairgames was announced right in the midst of PlayStation’s live-service push in 2023 that was headlined by Concord, one of the most high-profile blunders in the industry. This initiative has led to many canceled multiplayer games, including ones in the Twisted Metal, God of War, and The Last of Us franchises. Bungie, a first-party PlayStation studio, reportedly canned a Destiny game in 2024, and Days Gone developer Bend Studio also had one of its multiplayer games canceled in 2025. Horizon Hunters Gathering, a co-op title in the Horizon universe, is one of the few multiplayer games from PlayStation still standing, but it is reportedly pivoting away from being a live-service game.
Fairgames was going through changes behind the scenes, and only some of which were troubling. Studio founder and original Assassin’s Creed producer Jade Raymond left the company in 2025, a move that called the game’s quality into question. Fairgames was even reportedly going to have a new name — Break In — according to a trademark and Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier. Alleged footage of the shooter also hit the internet, giving players a look at what Haven had in store. It seems like the game in said footage wasn’t being received well, though, according to a report from Insider Gaming citing players in its secret playtest Discord server filled with negative banter.
Did you think Fairgames‘ cancelation was inevitable? Tell us in the comments.
More Gaming
-
Image Courtesy of Grinding Gear Games -
Courtesy of Bethesda Studios -
Courtesy of Rockstar Games
