Key Takeaways
- Sony remains committed to the live-service model by forming a new studio, Team LFG.
- The new studio includes developers with experience on successful titles like Fortnite, Roblox, and Destiny.
- Sony appears focused on creating an ecosystem similar to Fortnite, and despite a string of setbacks, it continues to be interested in metaverse-style gaming.
Following a rocky streak of live-service game flops, PlayStation is giving it another shot—this time with a new studio led by veterans from Fortnite and Roblox.
The move comes amid speculation that Sony was backing away from its live-service ambitions, especially after the commercial and critical disaster of its high-budget hero shooter Concord.
Introducing Team LFG
On Wednesday, May 7, Sony unveiled Team LFG, a new development team featuring talent from Fortnite, Roblox, Rec Room, Destiny, and other studios, alongside newcomers bringing “fresh perspectives.”
The studio’s mission is to create “immersive multiplayer worlds propelled by action gameplay that players can learn, play, and master for countless hours.”
According to Team LFG, its debut project will draw inspiration from platformers, life simulation games, and what it cryptically described as “frog-type games.”
The title will reportedly be set in a “lighthearted, comedic world set in a brand-new, mythic, science-fantasy universe.”
This initiative marks Sony’s renewed attempt to capture the elusive live-service game hit that has so far escaped its grasp.
Sony’s Struggles in the Live-Service Arena
In 2024, Sony released Concord, an eight-year-in-development hero shooter. It was pulled from availability just two weeks after launch due to a lack of player interest and an oversaturated market.
Sony had initially pledged to release up to ten live-service games by 2026, but most of those projects have since been delayed, restructured, or canceled entirely.
Internally, these failures have reportedly caused strategic tensions on where best to take the company, which has traditionally focused on single-player experiences.
The creation of Team LFG reflects Sony’s ongoing commitment to establishing a franchise that can provide long-term, consistent revenue, something similar to the properties many of its new hires have worked on previously.
PlayStation Studio With the Fortnite Formula
The influence of Fortnite is expected to weigh heavily on the new PlayStation studio’s work.
Several of its team members previously worked at Epic Games and other studios that have deep experience in large-scale, multiplayer live-service titles.
As Fortnite evolves beyond its battle royale origins into a multifaceted social platform, complete with concerts, creator tools, and cross-brand integrations, Sony appears determined to claim a similar space in its ecosystem.
This isn’t Sony’s first brush with the metaverse, either. The company invested in Epic Games in both 2021 and 2022, citing shared ambitions in digital entertainment and real-time 3D technologies.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has credited those investments with helping shape Fortnite’s evolution into a metaverse platform.
After a string of failures, Sony desperately needs a win in the live-service space. Whether Team LFG can deliver remains to be seen.
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
