Sony Interactive Entertainment has canceled Fairgame$, the competitive multiplayer heist shooter developed by Haven Interactive Studios for PlayStation 5 and PC. The decision follows a large-scale playtest involving thousands of players that failed to meet Sony’s expectations for player feedback and retention.
The cancellation was revealed on November 10, 2026, through a Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier, who reviewed an internal email sent to PlayStation employees. Sony also confirmed to Bloomberg that the decision would not result in layoffs at Haven Interactive Studios. Instead, the developer will transition to supporting other studios within the PlayStation organization.
In the internal email, PlayStation executives Sean Decker and John Doyle explained that the recent playtest demonstrated strong operational performance but failed to achieve the company’s engagement and retention targets.
The executives acknowledged the team’s operational execution, including its readiness to manage an ongoing live-service game and its engagement with the testing community. However, player feedback and retention results were mixed and fell below Sony’s established goals.
The email also identified difficult market conditions in the competitive player-versus-player shooter genre as a factor behind the cancellation. Sony ultimately determined that continuing development was no longer justified.
Fairgame$ was originally announced during the PlayStation Showcase in May 2023 as Haven Studios’ first major project following its acquisition by Sony in 2022. The game was designed around competitive heists in which teams infiltrated secured locations, stole valuable cargo and competed against rival crews.
Haven described the project as a modern take on the heist genre, emphasizing emergent multiplayer encounters, cooperation and player creativity. Its initial announcement confirmed plans for both PS5 and PC, although Sony never established a public release date.
Development continued for more than three years without a substantial official gameplay presentation. In September 2026, footage associated with a project reportedly using the codename Project Espresso surfaced online, alongside information about closed testing for a competitive third-person PvPvE shooter. The project’s description closely resembled Fairgame$, although Sony did not publicly confirm the connection.
The newly disclosed internal email establishes that a subsequent or recent large-scale testing effort was insufficient to convince PlayStation leadership to continue investing in Fairgame$.
The cancellation follows several setbacks involving Sony’s live-service gaming strategy. Concord, another multiplayer shooter developed under PlayStation, was shut down shortly after its 2024 launch, while other planned multiplayer projects have also been canceled.
Unlike the closure of Firewalk Studios following Concord’s shutdown, however, Haven Interactive Studios will remain part of PlayStation. Sony has explicitly ruled out job cuts associated with the Fairgame$ cancellation and confirmed that Haven’s development resources will be redirected toward supporting other internal teams.
Sony has not identified which PlayStation studios Haven will assist or disclosed any replacement project for the developer.
For players who had been following Fairgame$ since its 2023 reveal, the decision means the planned PS5 and PC multiplayer shooter will not be released. Haven’s future work will instead contribute to other projects within Sony’s first-party development organization.
