PlayStation: Fairgames Canceled After Mixed Player Test Results
PlayStation has ended development of Fairgames, a live-service shooter from Haven Studios, after a recent test produced mixed player feedback and retention results. Haven will shift to supporting other PlayStation Studios teams, and the cancellation will not lead to job cuts.
PlayStation has canceled Fairgames, a live-service shooter in development at Haven Studios, after a recent player test delivered mixed feedback and retention results.
The decision ends work on the game but will not result in job cuts. PlayStation said Haven, its Montreal-based subsidiary, will shift to supporting other development teams across PlayStation Studios while exploring new creative opportunities.
Test results fell short
Executives Sean Decker and John Doyle told employees that the test showed strengths in operational readiness but missed the targets set for player response and retention.
“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,” they said.
The executives cited conditions in the player-versus-player shooter market alongside the test results. “Combined with challenging market conditions in the PVP shooter genre, we have made the difficult decision to cease development on the game,” they said.
Fairgames was announced in 2023 as Haven’s debut game. Its planned release was first set for the previous year, then delayed to Spring 2026.
Haven moves to support work
Haven Studios was founded by Jade Raymond in 2021 and acquired by PlayStation Studios in 2022. After Raymond left in May 2025, executive producer Marie-Eve Danis and Pierre-François Sapinski became co-studio heads.
PlayStation’s cancellation leaves Haven’s team in place, with the studio moving to work alongside other PlayStation Studios developers. The company did not announce a new project for the team.
PlayStation began pursuing live-service games more heavily in 2022, when it acquired Bungie for $3.6 billion. Former Sony Interactive Entertainment head Jim Ryan said the company intended to launch more than ten live-service games by 2026.
The strategy has since faced cancellations and studio changes. In 2025, Sony canceled two unannounced live-service games from Bend Studio and Bluepoint Games. Sony closed Bluepoint the following year, resulting in 70 job losses.
Sony also reduced the value of its acquisition by $765 million in the 2025/26 fiscal year after Destiny 2 and Marathon underperformed. Earlier this year, Bungie laid off 292 employees and ended development on Destiny 2.
Sony Interactive CEO Hideaki Nishino has said the company still plans to pursue live-service games with both internal and external developers. “We believe that live service games are content that attracts users on a global level, so we want to continue to revitalise the market through both first-party and third-party content,” Nishino said.
