PlayStation China Hero Project developer alleges Sony attempted takeover of PS5 shooter game

PlayStation has boosted the development of PS5 games in a rapidly growing market. Nevertheless, its China Hero Project has also suffered its share of setbacks. The latest controversy involves the co-op shooter Convallaria. Its Loongforce studio accuses Sony of undermining its efforts at every stage.

The Convallaria saga

Loongforce contacted MP1st to explain why the progress of Convallaria has been slow. PlayStation first selected the game for its Chinese initiative in 2018. Since then, tension surfaced between the studio and PlayStation. With the title’s future unclear, there are allegations of late payments, poor communication, and an attempted takeover.

The problems reportedly escalated in 2022, after Bao Bo, Director of Game Production for SIE China, began managing the PS5 game. The developers claim that critical funding from Sony was frequently delayed. At the same time, the company forced them to send money for “IT security restructuring.”

In mid-2025, the situation came to a head when Bao Bo gave Loongforce an ultimatum. Either the company would grant full control of development to the SIE Global Team, or the PS5 game would never debut. Emails sent to Mp1st and earlier to Noisy Pixel document these events.

Sony has stopped promoting Convallaria

Convallaria has also been missing in marketing campaigns for the China Hero Project. The studio had expected to see the game featured in a February 2025 video. Unfortunately, every other Chinese title in the works appeared in the advertisement except the multiplayer shooter.

Loongforce now faces massive debt but continues to seek a resolution with Sony. However, PlayStation may have already moved on. A new update on the official China Hero Project website excluded Convallaria.

Followers should express caution, since PlayStation has yet to respond to the troubling charges. In one email, Bao Bo stated that the game failed evaluations from multiple business divisions. Nevertheless, the struggles of Lost Soul Aside already raised doubts about Sony’s Chinese partnerships. Critics argue that the project's failures outweigh success stories like Ai Limit.