Sony’s slashed its live service plans, announcing that six of its 12 in-production projects will not release by March 2026, as previously planned. The platform holder was plotting to launch the dozen or so titles by the end of its 2025 Fiscal Year, but in an earnings call, Sony bigwig Hiroki Totoki confirmed that it’s since scaled back its ambitions.

“We are trying as much as possible to ensure [these games] are enjoyed and liked by gamers for a long time,” he explained. “Of the 12 titles, six titles will be released by FY25 – that’s our current plan. As for the remaining six titles, we’re still working on that. That’s the total number of live service and multiplayers titles [and] mid-to-long-term we want to [push] this kind of service and that’s the unchanged policy of the company. It’s not like we stick to certain titles, but game quality should be most important.”

Upon its acquisition of Bungie, the Japanese giant called upon the Destiny developer’s expertise to conduct a rigorous review of its current live service portfolio. That appeared to result in Naughty Dog scaling back development of its previously announced multiplayer The Last of Us game, which is allegedly still in development – albeit as part of a much smaller team.

The platform holder has not exactly been forthcoming about its live service plans, aside from confirming the number of titles in development. We know there’s a multiplayer version of Horizon on the way from Guerrilla, and the manufacturer did announce Fairgame$ and Concord at a recent PlayStation presentation. London Studio is also working on a new online-based property.

But the exact nature of the remaining games remains a secret, much like the majority of Sony’s portfolio. Judging by Totoki’s comments, the company is not wavering on its commitment to live service – in fact, it sounds like it’s doubling down, by giving these titles more time and budget to mature. Let’s hope it tells us exactly what we’ve got to look forward to in the near future.