PlayStation is shutting down Bluepoint Games in March 2026, a development studio responsible for beloved video game remakes like Shadow of the Colossus (2018) and Demon’s Souls (2020). Bluepoint Games was originally an independent studio founded in 2006 before being acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2021. Under PlayStation, the studio is not able to celebrate its 5th anniversary.
Of course, for a studio that has been around since 2006, it has accomplished far more than those two games. It provided support to beloved games like God of War Ragnarok, Titanfall, Flower, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. It also played some role in or is otherwise responsible for Blast Factor, God of War Collection, The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection, the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, and Gravity Rush Remastered.
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Bluepoint Games Was Working on the Live-Service God of War Game Before It was Canceled
As reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, roughly 70 employees will be impacted by this closure, with a PlayStation spokesperson explaining that it was a decision made “following a recent business review.” It is not yet clear, and is perhaps somewhat unlikely, that PlayStation is doing anything to support the impacted employees. PlayStation’s official statement on the matter reads:
“Bluepoint Games is an incredibly talented team, and their technical expertise has delivered exceptional experiences for the PlayStation community. We thank them for their passion, creativity, and craftsmanship.”
After the successful release of Demon’s Souls, a PS5 exclusive launch title, Bluepoint was tasked with assisting Santa Monica Studio on God of War Ragnarok. Bluepoint would then be placed on a live-service God of War game shortly thereafter, part of Sony’s push for live-service games. A live-service Marvel’s Spider-Man game, as well as a live-service Last of Us game, were part of this project. Each of these projects has been canceled, with the new God of War game getting the axe in January 2025.
Bloomberg reports that PlayStation said it was working with Bluepoint Games to determine its next game at the time, but clearly, that has not come to fruition.
Bluepoint Games’ Loss is No One’s Gain
Over the years, Bluepoint Games has garnered plenty of goodwill among gamers. It has never made sense to put a studio of its remake and support pedigree on a live-service game, and in all likelihood, it’s certainly not Bluepoint’s fault. Bluepoint Games was unmatched with remakes, so much so that fans would trust a Bloodborne remaster/remake to Bluepoint Games, and it’s widely considered one of the best games of all time. Many fans have made these feelings known over the years, so it’s hard to understand how this happened. If a studio like Bluepoint Games, with successful releases like Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus, can be shut down, then no studio is safe.
It seems to be a casualty of PlayStation’s live-service push. In 2022, the former CEO said it would make and release 12 live-service PlayStation games by 2025. It was a bad idea when it was announced, and this is the end result. Live-service games can be major earners for developers and publishers, but there’s a limit. This decision has ultimately played some role in this shutdown, but has led to several games not making it to market:
Canceled Games That Were Part of Sony’s Live Service Push
- Concord made it to release but was shut down two weeks after launch
- The God of War live-service game was canceled.
- The Last of Us Online was canceled.
- Spider-Man: The Great Web was canceled
- Bend Studios’ live-service game was never confirmed, but it has been canceled too.
- Deviation Games was believed to be working on a live-service game for PlayStation before it was shuttered.
At the end of the day, this closure comes as a shock. Bluepoint Games was well-respected, made great games, and saw successful releases.