Sony’s journey through the live service gaming landscape has seen its share of ups and downs. Recently, Lin Tao, Sony’s CFO, addressed the company’s challenges during a Q&A session following their financial results. Despite the setbacks with titles like Concord and Marathon, Tao remains optimistic, asserting that progress has indeed been made.
When questioned about the state of PlayStation’s live service strategy, Tao acknowledged the recent negative reports. “Last year Concord shut down, and this year Marathon was postponed,” she explained. Yet, the silver lining is that live service games, which were practically nonexistent five years ago, have now added a significant revenue stream for the company.
Highlighted in her remarks was the impressive performance of titles such as Helldivers 2, MLB The Show, and Gran Turismo 7. Together with Bungie’s Destiny 2, these games have relied on the live service model to help stabilize revenue streams, producing steady hardware results.
In the previous quarter, live service titles accounted for about 40% of first-party software revenue, a figure Tao pointed out with justified pride. “For Q1, the live service ratio was around 40%. For the full year, it might slip a bit, to between 20-30%,” she noted, underscoring the transformative journey from minimal offerings to where they stand today. However, she admits that the transition hasn’t been seamless. “There are still many issues to tackle and lessons to learn,” Tao said, emphasizing the need for more efficient content delivery.
But the hurdles don’t stop there. Sony has navigated numerous challenges, including the cancellation of live service projects at Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games. Reports revealed that one of Bluepoint’s projects was a live service title set in the God of War universe, adding to the intrigue around internal decisions. Additionally, significant delays have hit games like Fairgame$, a multiplayer heist experience from Haven Studios, now slated for release in 2026.
Nonetheless, not all news is gloomy for Sony. Helldivers 2 has emerged as a shining star, quickly becoming PlayStation’s fastest-selling title, with over 15 million copies sold by 2024. This level of success highlights the potential of live service games, even amidst setbacks.
As Sony navigates the live service waters, the gaming community remains curious about how these evolving strategies will reshape the gaming landscape, sparking interest among players and industry insiders alike.