Sources indicate that Sony Interactive Entertainment has halted development of Haven Studios' multiplayer shooter Fairgame$. The studio will not be closed or face layoffs as a result, and affected employees will be reassigned to support other PlayStation projects within the organization.
According to Bloomberg, PlayStation stated that it has canceled the development of Fairgames because the results of a recent game test "failed to meet our set goals." It has been three years since Fairgames was originally announced for a 2023 release.
Reportedly, executives Sean Decker and John Doyle wrote in a memo: "While the test demonstrated strong operational capabilities, readiness for live operations, and community engagement, player feedback and retention rates were mixed and failed to meet our set goals. Given the challenging market environment for PvP shooters, we had to make the difficult decision to halt the game's development."
Footage from this game test appears to have leaked online back in September. If this is indeed from Fairgames, it marks our first look at actual gameplay footage. Aside from this, we can only refer to the cinematic trailers released in 2023.
Reportedly, developer Haven Studios will not be closed nor will there be layoffs as a result of this decision.
Meanwhile, Sony's live-service game projects have seen mixed results. Helldivers 2 achieved success, while Concord suffered a major failure, leading PlayStation to ultimately shut down the developer Firewalk Studios.
Meanwhile, Bungie is working hard to expand the player base for Marathon, so it is not surprising that PlayStation does not want to add another live-service title at this time.
Considering these factors, the report on Fairgames is not surprising. We have long known that the game's development was not going smoothly, with reports as early as 2025 indicating poor reception during internal testing. If the recent tests also failed to boost player enthusiasm, Sony likely decided to stop funding the project, especially given the current tough landscape for live-service games.