Sony remains committed to "diverse and resilient" live service games, including forthcoming Marathon and Fairgames, despite high profile failures

During an annual Sony business presentation, CEO Hermen Hulst stated the company remains committed to building “a diverse and resilient” portfolio of live service games, which includes the unreleased Marathon and Fairgames. That’s despite high profile live service failures, in addition to controversy with these two forthcoming games.

Hulst stated that Sony is building on the successes of games such as Helldivers 2 and Destiny 2 for future projects, adding: “We look forward to showcasing our progress with Marathon”, a game that has seen no shortage of controversy recently.

Helldivers 2, the large jewel in Sony’s live service crown, was dubbed a “resounding critical and commercial success” by Hulst, who highlighted both its ability to retain a passionate community and win industry awards.

Hulst called Marathon “innovative and bold”. No other compliments were offered to Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, though the accompanying slide noted “strong early engagement” as its prime achievement so far.

An interesting perspective to be sure, at least as far as Marathon is concerned. While much of what Hulst said about Helldivers 2 is true – the game has managed to remain a fantastic success story for the industry giant – Marathon has found itself on the receiving end of some exceptional problems.