Gaming

A ‘God of War’ Live-Service Game Has Been Canceled, and I Couldn’t Be More Relieved

A ‘God of War’ live-service game was recently canceled, and I feel that only two words sum up that development: “Thank God.”

‘God of War’ Live-Service Game Has Been Canceled, and I Couldn’t Be More Relieved
Screenshot: Sony Interactive Entertainment

As reported by Bloomberg‘s Jason Schreier, Sony recently canceled two PlayStation projects. “Sony Group Corp.’s PlayStation has canceled previously unannounced games at two of its top subsidiaries, the company said Thursday. The games, at Oregon-based Bend Studio and Texas-based Bluepoint Games, were both ‘live service’ projects designed to draw recurring revenue from players,” the report states. Later, Schreier would confirm on Bluesky that one of the titles would’ve been another entry in the God of War franchise.

“Fans have long wondered what Bluepoint has been working on for the last couple of years. I can report it was a live-service God of War game.”

Videos by VICE

BREAKING: PlayStation has canceled two more live-service games, from subsidiaries Bend and Bluepoint, Bloomberg has learned.Fans have long wondered what Bluepoint has been working on for the last couple of years. I can report it was a live-service God of War game. www.bloomberg.com/news/article…

Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2025-01-16T23:09:48.705Z

Then, the plot thickens. Jeff Grubb, a notable games industry insider, stated that the cancellations came as a direct result of Concord‘s catastrophic failure. “This happened because of Concord, like this should be clear, that’s what I’ve been told,” Grubb states in a video.

“Sony has been shell-shocked from Concord, and now they’re going around to every studio and they’re reassessing every single project. And if it’s a live-service project, it has a lot of friction going against it preventing it from getting a chance to actually come out.”

Oh, Boy, the 'God of War' TV Series Might Be in Trouble
Screenshot: Sony Interactive Entertainment

‘god of war’ doesn’t deserve a soulless live-service game

Look, there’s no denying Bluepoint’s talents. We’re talking about remaster and remake wizards! The issue isn’t the development team; the problem is the mere concept of a God of War live-service game. Overall, the general sentiment here at VICE Games is that most live-service games are shameless cash grabs. Yes, you get the occasional Helldivers 2, Fortnite, or Roblox. But, by and large, live-service games are exploitative, vapid experiences solely meant to take advantage of people.

God of War deserves better than that. What the hell does that even look like while still respecting the source material? I mean, I guess you could argue that Valhalla is a stellar pathway to a horrible God of War roguelike live-service experience that preys on your finances. Otherwise, I’m having a hard time envisioning players gravitating toward such a radical pivot. Thankfully, we’ll never know how that would’ve panned out. My only concern is for the developers of both Bluepoint and Bend teams. I’m naive enough to believe (or hope, rather) that layoffs won’t factor into either equation.