Summary
- Internal feedback at Sony reportedly shows great optimism about the gaming giant's next live-service game, Fairgames, despite the failure of Concord.
- Fairgames is a competitive heist game led by Assassin's Creed veteran Jade Raymond.
- Relatively little competition in the heist shooter genre might allow Fairgames to perform better than Concord commercially.
As per a recent report, Sony is apparently quite bullish on its next live-service game, Fairgames. In the aftermath of the unprecedented collapse of PlayStation's latest live-service effort, Concord, this development suggests that Fairgames could have a better shot at success in the crowded but potentially very profitable live-service space.
Developed by PlayStation first-party team Haven Studios, Fairgames is billed as a "thrilling competitive heist game." Although Haven was only formed about three years ago, the talent behind the studio makes it rather noteworthy, as Assassin's Creed veteran Jade Raymond is leading Fairgames' development. The title was formally announced at the 2023 PlayStation Showcase with an action-packed CGI trailer that strongly echoed the themes of popular games like Watchdogs, Payday, and The Finals.
Fairgames Has Serious Watch Dogs Vibes
Fairgames being a 'competitive heist game' may put it more in line with Payday, but it seems to explore themes present in Watch Dogs too.
After Concord's recent shutdown announcement, though, confidence in PlayStation's live-service endeavors has wavered for a lot of fans. Many have even questioned if the company is doubting its current in-development live-service projects, like Fairgames. However, GamesIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring claimed otherwise in the latest episode of the GI Microcast. According to Dring, Sony's internal feedback on Fairgames is apparently "very positive," and he's heard "good things" about the Jade Raymond-led title. He also speculated that PlayStation is "really focussing" on supporting Fairgames and trying to make it work.
Fairgames Has One Crucial Advantage Over Concord
It's undoubtedly very early to predict how Fairgames will fare commercially, especially without concrete details about its gameplay, monetization, or even a confirmed release window. Based on surface-level analysis, though, Fairgames being a competitive heist shooter like Payday 3 already gives it an edge over Concord, as the former serves a genre that is nowhere near as congested as the hero shooter space. One of the biggest things working against Concord's success was the overpopulated genre it launched into, where Overwatch and Valorant have been established juggernauts for years and Concord couldn't differentiate itself enough to draw a lot of attention.
It's also worth noting that internal feedback isn't really a strong indicator of Fairgames' success. When Sony announced its partnership with Concord developer Firewalk Studios in 2021, PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst remarked on Twitter that the game was "ambitious" and "exciting." PlayStation even acquired Firewalk in 2023, so one can reasonably fathom that internal sentiments around Concord were rather positive as well. So far, Haven Studios is on a similar trajectory as it was also acquired by Sony before releasing its debut project. However, it's likely learned a lot from Concord's release, and many will be watching Fairgames with bated breath, wherever it shows up next.
PS5
- Brand
- Sony
- Storage
- 825 GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
- Resolution
- Max 8K (4k at 120 Hz playable)
- Ports
- 2x USB-C, 2x USB 3.1, and 1x Ethernet
- Original Release Date
- November 12, 2020
- Hardware Versions
- PS5
- Original MSRP (USD)
- Disc Edition: $499.99; Digital Edition: $399.99
- Weight
- Disc Edition: 9.9 LBS; Digital Edition: 8.6 LBS
- Dimensions
- 15.4 in × 10.2 in × 4.1 in
- Processor
- AMD Zen 2, 8-core / 16 threads, 3.5GHz