Report of Fairgames cancellation debunked, despite Sony's problems with live service PS5 games

Earlier, gaming industry analyst Michael Pachter seemed to reveal the cancellation of Fairgames. The Haven Studios project is a multiplayer extraction shooter in development for the PS5 and PC. However, Pachter has now clarified that he misrepresented the situation on his podcast. Nevertheless, the first-party PS5 game has faced turmoil, joining other troubled live service PlayStation titles.

On a recent broadcast, Pachter criticized Sony’s emphasis on live service games. He used the hero shooter Concord as an example, which PlayStation shut down after only two weeks. In May, Sony announced that Haven Studios founder Jade Raymond had left the company. Pachter believed that the move meant Fairgames was no longer in development.

As he told Destin Legarie, “I misspoke. Said Jade was let go, and assumed it was cancelled. I have no info on the game at all. Feel free to quote this, I truly don’t know”. In Pachter’s defense, there have been other ominous signs for Fairgames. Also in May, a report emerged about a less-than-stellar reception to a pre-alpha version. Some players labeled the gameplay as “super clunky” and found it unenjoyable. The impressions fueled speculation that PlayStation might shelve the game.

Whether or not Fairgames proves successful, PlayStation has no intention of abandoning live-service games. During an investor conference call, Sony CFO Lin Tao admitted to the company’s struggles. Still, she also noted how PS5 games like Helldivers 2 and Gran Turismo 7 are providing steady revenue. In fact, the Games as a Service (GaaS) model accounted for 40% of Sony’s first-party software sales in Q1 2025.

Even with its critics, publishers are finding regularly updated games lucrative. These titles hope to attract a loyal following that repeatedly purchases content. By contrast, more frequent single-player projects may struggle to maintain player bases.