Sony Interactive Entertainment has cancelled Fairgames, ending 3 years of production at Montreal based Haven Studios. The multiplayer heist shooter failed to hit internal retention targets and drew negative feedback during closed playtests. Sony chose to scrap the unreleased game entirely rather than risk another high cost failure in the live service market.
Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier revealed the cancellation after reviewing an internal message sent to PlayStation staff. Development teams spent 3 years working on the game following its initial 2023 reveal. Producers recently rebalanced the core mechanics and planned to rebrand the game under a new name. Weak tester data convinced Sony leadership to abandon the launch before public testing. Losses tied to the cancelled project are projected to exceed $100,000,000.
Sony decided against closing Haven Studios or ordering immediate layoffs. The Montreal team will now operate as a support unit, assisting other PlayStation studios on existing game pipelines while studying new project ideas. The decision reflects a rapid shift away from unproven multiplayer games. By pulling the plug early, management avoids the market outcome seen with Concord while navigating an overcrowded player versus player shooter space.
