Sony Interactive Entertainment has canceled Fairgames, the multiplayer online shooter developed by its Montreal subsidiary Haven Studios.
The decision follows a recent playtest involving thousands of participants that failed to hit internal benchmarks. PlayStation executives Sean Decker and John Doyle addressed the outcome in an internal email to employees reviewed by Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
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,
Sean Decker and John Doyle, PlayStation executives
The memo also pointed to external market pressures behind the cancellation.
Sony’s live-service “Fairgames” by Haven studio has been cancelled. Haven Studios will shift to support other studios🚀 ✅Online shooter developed by its Montreal-based subsidiary Haven Studios. ✅PlayStation spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier that there will… pic.twitter.com/GVFwN16Mhg
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Combined with challenging market conditions in the PVP shooter genre, we have made the difficult decision to cease development on the game.
Sean Decker and John Doyle, PlayStation executives
Haven Studios was founded in 2021 and acquired by Sony in 2022 before shipping a title. The project was initially unveiled at a May 2023 PlayStation Showcase as a competitive heist game intended for PlayStation 5 and PC.
Studio founder Jade Raymond departed the company in 2025 while development continued. Sony confirmed that there will be no job cuts as a result of the cancellation. Haven will instead move to support other studios within the organization.
Fairgames represents the latest misfire in Sony’s broader live-service strategy, which initially aimed to release at least ten live-service titles by 2026 following a major push announced in 2022. Other first-party efforts during the PS5 era have faced major setbacks, including the removal and shutdown of Concord and its developer, Firewalk Studios.
Additional canceled multiplayer and live-service projects across PlayStation’s portfolio have included titles from Twisted Metal, God of War, and The Last of Us, alongside changes at Bungie and London Studios.
Fairgames has reportedly been cancelled – Sony Interactive Entertainment has reportedly made the decision to cancel Haven Studios' Fairgames – No layoffs will be made, instead the team at Haven will now act as a support studio for other PlayStation studios – The key driver for… pic.twitter.com/cprkJJ5lKs
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