Sony has canceled Fairgames, the online multiplayer shooter that had been in development at Haven Studios for several years. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, the decision follows disappointing results from a recent player test, although PlayStation has confirmed that the cancellation will not result in layoffs at the Montreal-based studio.
A PlayStation spokesperson told Bloomberg that Haven Studios will instead transition to supporting other development teams within Sony’s organization. The studio had been working on Fairgames since before its announcement in 2023, with the project undergoing several changes during development.
According to the report, the game had been reworked multiple times over the past three years. Haven Studios was also preparing to reveal the project again under a different name before Sony decided to cancel it.
The decision came after a recent test involving thousands of players failed to meet PlayStation’s expectations. In an internal email sent to employees on Tuesday, executives Sean Decker and John Doyle acknowledged that the development team had demonstrated strong operational capabilities, including live operations readiness and community engagement.
However, the results were less encouraging when it came to the actual gameplay experience and player retention. According to the email reviewed by Bloomberg News, player feedback and retention were “mixed and fell short” of the company’s targets.
The executives also cited the challenging market for competitive player-versus-player shooters as another factor behind the cancellation.
“We have made the difficult decision to cease development on the game,” Decker and Doyle wrote in their message to employees.
Fairgames was originally announced during the May 2023 PlayStation Showcase as Haven Studios’ first project. Developed for PlayStation 5 and PC, the game was intended to be part of Sony’s broader investment in live-service titles.
The competitive multiplayer shooter centered on an underground movement targeting the ultra-wealthy. Players would infiltrate heavily secured locations to steal valuable cargo while competing against rival teams attempting to complete the same heists.
Its gameplay was designed around an emergent sandbox structure, allowing teams to approach objectives in different ways while dealing with security systems, guards, and other players.
With development now canceled, Haven Studios will remain part of PlayStation and take on support responsibilities for other teams rather than continue work on its original multiplayer project.
