Sony has introduced the formation of a brand new PlayStation studio and it feels like will probably be devoted to extra reside service video games.
Sony might have closed down a number of studios final yr, together with Concord developer Firewalk Studios and London Studio, however the firm is now beginning to plant new seeds.
Earlier this yr, Dark Outlaw Games, led by Call Of Duty alumni Jason Blundell, was formally introduced. Now, PlayStation has unveiled one other new studio, solely this time fashioned primarily from ex-Bungie builders.
The new studio, named teamLFG, relies in Washington, US and is made up primarily of former Bungie builders. However, it additionally contains folks that have labored on a myriad of various on-line video games, together with League Of Legends, Fortnite, Roblox, and Rec Room.
As outlined in a PlayStation blog post, teamLFG (which stands for ‘Looking For Group’) are engaged on an ‘formidable incubation venture’ which, based mostly on the studio’s identify and introduction, feels like will probably be a reside service venture.
‘We are pushed by a mission to create video games the place gamers can discover friendship, group, and belonging,’ reads a press release from the workforce. ‘We need our gamers to really feel excited when the go surfing to find their teammates already hanging out on-line.
‘We need our gamers to recognise acquainted names and to make myths and memes out of one another. We need our gamers to like remembering that one time the place they pulled off That Play that modified the entire story of the match. As we are saying on the workforce – dat’s da great things.’
They added: ‘We will make immersive multiplayer worlds propelled by motion video games that gamers can be taught, play, and grasp for numerous hours. We wish to construct our video games with our communities, inviting gamers to be part of our growth course of by early entry playtests.’
When it involves the studio’s first venture, teamLFG describes it as a ‘team-based motion recreation that pulls inspiration from combating video games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and frog-type video games’. And no, we don’t know what meaning both.
‘Players will inhabit a lighthearted, comedic world set in a model new, mythic, science-fantasy universe,’ the assertion provides.
Weirdly, this isn’t the primary time ‘frog-type video games’ have been talked about. This identical synopsis was utilized by Bungie in 2023 when it introduced it was hiring for a brand new incubation venture, so that is presumably the very same recreation however now underneath Sony’s wing.
While we’d a minimum of be curious to see a battle royale tackle Frogger, the announcement of this studio suggests PlayStation remains to be dedicated to reside service video games regardless of the failure of Concord, one thing PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst acknowledged in December final yr.
Sony is already hoping Bungie’s subsequent on-line shooter Marathon will hit when it launches later this yr, together with heist shooter Fairgame$ from Haven. A Horizon multiplayer spin-off can be rumoured to be within the works, however hasn’t been formally introduced.
Sony has seen success within the reside service area with Helldivers 2, however the quantity of funds being pumped into these dangerous multiplayer tasks – seemingly on the expense of single-player titles – is beginning to present within the 2025 launch slate.
The solely Sony-published single participant video games popping out this yr are Death Stranding 2 and Ghost Of Yōtei, and solely the latter is made by an inside studio.
There’s an opportunity extra may very well be introduced at a future State Of Play, however when so many reside service video games barely final a yr, it’s worrying to see Sony proceed to dedicate a lot time and assets to the idea, at theexpense of different kinds of video games.
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