PlayStation finally admits the truth: their most controversial idea has had “issues,” but Sony remains committed to live service games. Despite criticism, the team stands by the model, insisting it’s produced results they won’t walk away from.

PlayStation’s history with games as a service is anything but smooth. The Japanese giant struck gold with Helldivers 2 (launching on Xbox Series on August 26), but Concord flopped hard and Marathon has been postponed indefinitely. This bumpy road has drawn heavy fire from players and even Sony execs now openly acknowledge “issues” with their GaaS (Games as a Service) strategy. Still, the company is determined to learn from its stumbles and stick with the approach.

This commitment was reaffirmed by Lin Tao, Sony’s CFO, in a Q&A after the latest financial results (via VGC). During the session, Tao admitted that gamers remain unconvinced about PlayStation’s GaaS push, especially after these recent missteps. Even so, Sony’s outlook is positive. “Last year, Concord shut down and was canceled; this year, Marathon is delayed, so there’s been some negative news coming out,” Tao said.

“But if you look at the last five years, games as a service were almost nonexistent at PlayStation Studios. Now we have Helldivers 2, MLB The Show, Gran Turismo 7, and Bungie’s Destiny 2, so we have those four services stably contributing to sales and profits,” she continued. “For the first quarter [of fiscal year 2025-2026], the games as a service rate was about 40%; for the full year, it’s a bit lower, probably around 20-30%.”

“So, in terms of transformation, not everything is going smoothly, but from a long-term perspective, if you look at the changes over the past five years, you’ll see there has definitely been a shift,” Tao went on. “Of course, we recognize that there are still many problems, so we need to learn from our mistakes and ensure that we introduce content as a service where there’s less waste and it’s more seamless.”

The Future of PlayStation and Live Service Games

The backlash around Concord forced PlayStation to revamp its future roadmap. As a result, two live service titles were canceled in early 2025—including, reportedly, a new God of War entry. Even so, Sony is still pushing ahead with Fairgames and the delayed Marathon.

Marathon’s delay, in fact, triggered an unprecedented shake-up at Bungie. According to Tao, the game won’t be canceled and is still on track for release this fiscal year (ending March 31, 2026). However, Destiny 2’s creators now face reduced autonomy as they’re gradually absorbed into the PlayStation Studios group. Ultimately, Marathon is expected to become a key pillar of Sony’s live service strategy.

Source: 3djuegos