Sony Vows to Learn from Concord, Commits to Marathon Launch by 2026
▼ Summary
– Sony remains committed to live service games despite the failure of Concord, which was pulled offline two weeks after launch due to low player numbers and poor sales.
– Hermen Hulst, Sony’s Studio Business Group CEO, admitted Marathon’s alpha test received “varied” feedback but confirmed its release by March 2026, vowing to avoid Concord’s mistakes.
– Sony has implemented stricter validation processes for live service games to ensure better differentiation, engagement, and commercial success after Concord’s failure.
– Bungie faced a plagiarism scandal involving Marathon, with accusations of using an artist’s work without credit, leading to public apologies and asset reviews.
– Sony plans to launch six live service games by March 2026, including Marathon, while canceling others like Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us multiplayer and two unannounced titles.
Sony remains committed to its live service gaming strategy despite the high-profile failure of Concord, pledging to apply hard-earned lessons to ensure the successful launch of Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, by March 2026. The company acknowledges the challenges of breaking into competitive markets while emphasizing rigorous testing and creative differentiation as key to future success.
The swift collapse of Concord, PlayStation’s ill-fated hero shooter, serves as a cautionary tale. Within weeks of launch, player counts plummeted, leading Sony to shut down servers and reportedly absorb losses in the hundreds of millions. The closure of developer Firewalk Studios underscored the stakes, but Sony’s leadership insists the setback won’t derail its broader ambitions.
During a recent investor discussion, Hermen Hulst, head of Sony’s Studio Business Group, admitted Marathon’s alpha test feedback was mixed but stressed the importance of iterative improvements. “Live service games represent a major opportunity, but they come with unique challenges,” he said, referencing Helldivers 2 as a triumph while conceding Concord failed to stand out in a crowded genre.
To avoid repeating mistakes, Sony has overhauled its development review process, implementing stricter validation of creative and commercial assumptions. Hulst emphasized ongoing analytics and player testing to refine Marathon, Bungie’s first new IP in over a decade. “The goal is bold innovation, something deeply engaging that resonates,” he said, though the project recently faced controversy over allegations of plagiarized artwork, which Bungie addressed with public apologies and asset audits.
Sony’s live service roadmap has seen turbulence, including cancellations like Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us multiplayer and two unannounced titles. Despite scaling back from 12 planned games to six by 2026, the company continues investing in diverse projects, from Guerrilla’s Horizon multiplayer to new studio teamLFG’s incubation title.
Hulst pointed to MLB The Show, Destiny 2, and Helldivers 2, where microtransactions now drive over half of revenue, as models for sustainable live service design. “We’re building a resilient portfolio,” he said, reaffirming confidence in Marathon’s fiscal year 2026 release. Whether players share that optimism remains to be seen, but Sony is betting heavily on learning from its missteps.
(Source: IGN)
