PlayStation's embattled shooter Fairgames has finally been cancelled, a new report says, as live service push withers away

PlayStation's embattled shooter Fairgames has finally been cancelled, a new report says, as live service push withers away

Heist expectations.

After years of silence, we finally know the fate of PlayStation's embattled live service game Fairgames. The Haven-developed co-op heist shooter has been cancelled, with the silver lining that the studio is not closing down or laying off staff.

According to a new Bloomberg report, the decision to cancel Fairgames was made following the results of a recent playtest. Sony told staff on Tuesday of the playtest's poor reception and of its decision to end development.

"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," executives Sean Decker and John Doyle reportedly wrote in an email to staff.

"Combined with challenging market conditions in the PvP shooter genre, we have made the difficult decision to cease development on the game."

A PlayStation spokesperson later confirmed that developers at Haven will now support other teams within the PlayStation Studios group, as they continue to "explore new creative opportunities".

Fairgames was initially announced in 2023 as one of several in-development live service games, as part of an initiative by former PlayStation boss Jim Ryan to create more than a dozen games that generate recurring revenue.

Most of those titles were cancelled before they were even revealed, and those that made it out, such as Concord, flopped severely. Even Sony darling Guerrilla Games seemingly can't make it work, with recent reports saying the studio's Horizon Hunters Gathering - initially envisioned as a live service spin on the robo dinosaur series - will now shift into a more traditional co-op structure without live service elements. That's assuming the team can show a revamped version of the game to executives by December.

The news of Fairgames' cancellation isn't surprising. The game has had a tumultuous development journey ever since its reveal. Initially set for release in 2025, the game was soon pushed back to 2026, following the departure of studio founder Jade Raymond.

Though Sony later reiterated its commitment to its remaining in-development live service titles, Fairgames was never shown to the public again. That same year, game director Daniel Drapeau left Haven - another key departure suggesting the game had difficulties and might not see release.

Throughout that time, Fairgames has reportedly been reworked multiple times, with a plan for it to be re-revealed under a new name. That name is believed to be Break In, linked to a trademark Sony filed in May, but with the project cancelled, we may never know if that was the case.

PC, PS5