Job Listings At PlayStation Spark Rumors About A New Live Service Game
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Key points
- Two job listings at PlayStation have sparked rumors about a new live service game being developed.
- The listings specifically mentioned expertise in networking and cooperative multiplayer design principles.
- Concord was one of Sony’s first attempts at joining the live service market, but the game’s launch was a disaster.
A job listing spotted for a Game System Designer and Senior Gameplay Engineer at PlayStation hint at a possible live service game being developed in a Los Angeles studio. The listings were first spotted by Tech4Gamers.
According to the listings, the recruiters are looking for developers that are experienced in networking, weapons, economy, and combat mechanics. The listing for Game Systems Designer, in particular, is looking for someone who is knowledgeable of cooperative multiplayer design principles and ideals. This gives an impression that the game being developed will have co-op features.
The networking requirement for the Senior Gameplay Engineer listing hints that the game might have online multiplayer which can then evolve to a live service rumor. The job listings also clarified that the IP is completely original.
Sony has announced its intention to release more than 10 live service games by 2026, right after its Bungie acquisition in 2022. Just a year later, in November 2023, the company adjusted its “more than 10 live service games” statement and cut it down to six.
Concord was one of Sony’s attempts to join the live service market, but the game’s release was a disaster. Despite allegedly spending $400m, the game failed to exceed 700 concurrent players on Steam. According to PCGamesN, this might be the result of lack of uniqueness and a high price compared to free-to-play hero shooters in the market.
A month after, Concord closed down and Sony promised to refund the game. This failure cost Firewalk Studios, the developers of Concord, to shut down as well.
