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Shuhei Yoshida Says He Canceled Two $25 Million PlayStation Projects, Including a Santa Monica New IP

He argues that ending stalled efforts protects teams when a project never finds its core game.

Overview

  • On the My Perfect Console podcast, the former PlayStation Worldwide Studios chief said two projects were halted after about $25 million each had been spent.
  • One canceled game was a new internal IP at God of War maker Santa Monica Studio, which had strong concept and art but never realized satisfying gameplay.
  • Yoshida said the Santa Monica team itself came forward to stop development, and he did not provide a timeline for when the project was in production.
  • The other cancellation involved a big‑budget title at an unspecified European Sony studio that similarly lacked a clear core game.
  • Yoshida said he often ends prototypes early, described $25 million cancellations as increasingly routine with rising budgets, and framed such calls as better for developer morale and business than prolonging troubled work.