Overview

• Roughly 40 positions, amounting to about 30% of Bend Studio’s Oregon workforce, were cut following the cancellation earlier this year.
• Leaked information suggests the scuttled project was an unannounced online multiplayer loot shooter, though Sony never disclosed details.
• The layoffs follow a series of Sony first-party pullbacks, including a God of War spin-off at Bluepoint Games and the rapid shutdown of Concord.
• Observers say Sony’s live-service retreat has left the PS5 generation short on major first-party titles, increasing reliance on third-party exclusives.
• Bend Studio has quietly begun developing a new title, but its genre, scale and release timeline remain unspecified.