Sony’s PS5-era studio acquisition spree has faltered

In 2019 PlayStation bought Insomniac Games, ending nearly a decade without studio acquisitions, and then added ten more studios over the next four years. As of February 2026 that strategy has not paid off: the company’s pivot to live-service faltered and Bluepoint Games was shut down.

Bluepoint, known for well-received remasters in 2021 and a Demon’s Souls remake at the PS5 launch, had not shipped anything new by 2026; a planned God of War live-service project was cancelled and its 75 employees were let go. Several other acquisitions have struggled to deliver new titles.

Insomniac faced layoffs in February 2024 but has a Wolverine game shipping this year; Housemarque’s Saros is also due this year. Nixxes has been active as a support studio on Horizon and Helldivers 2. Firesprite took layoffs in February 2024 after shipping Horizon Call of the Mountain in 2023, while Fabrik has not shipped a game since 2017.

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