A blow to Bend Studio: Sony lays off 30% of staff after cancelling the game's Live-Service
Sony has cut about 30% of the staff of Bend Studio, the developer of Days Gone for PlayStation.
Here's What We Know
According to Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, about 40 people were laid off from the studio. This is a significant part of the team.
In its statement, Sony also confirmed that Bend Studio was working on a service game earlier this year, but that project was cancelled and the studio is moving on to a new, unnamed project. This is not the first service game to be cancelled by Sony, which indicates a shift in priorities.
"Earlier this year, Bend Studio completed the development of a game service concept," the statement reads. "After careful consideration, we have decided not to proceed with it. As the team refocuses on its next project, we have made strategic changes to better position the studio for long-term success. As part of this transition, we have reduced the studio's staff. This decision was not taken lightly, and we are extremely grateful for the significant contributions of all those affected. Bend Studio has been a valuable part of PlayStation Studios for decades and we remain confident in its future and creative direction."
Sony has cancelled several games since announcing its focus on developing service game concepts after acquiring Destiny 2 developer Bungie in 2022. Initially, the publisher said it intended to launch 12 service games by 2025, but in 2023, it reduced that number to six. The layoffs at Bend are just the latest of many that Sony has made in recent years, including the closure of Firewalk Studios after the launch of first-person shooter Concord and the layoffs at Bungie following the acquisition and release of Destiny 2's latest major expansion, The Final Shape.
Other recent closures included Sony London Studio and Deviation Games, both of which closed in 2024. The latter studio was closed before it could release its first game, after being founded by Call of Duty veterans Dave Anthony and Jason Blundell in 2020.
In addition to the cancelled Bend game, Sony reportedly cancelled a game service based on God of War, and developer Naughty Dog cancelled The Last of Us Online.
Source: @jasonschreier.bsky.social
