Sony has confirmed that it will officially shut down in March of this year.Bluepoint Games, a game studio under PlayStationThis Austin, Texas-based studio, known for developing high-quality remakes of games, was acquired by Sony in late September 2021, only to close down in less than five years.
A difficult decision following a business review, affecting approximately 70 people.
According to a PlayStation spokespersonstatementThe decision to close was made following a "recent business review".
In an internal letter, Hermen Hulst, CEO of PlayStation Studios, acknowledged that despite the studio's exceptional talent, the company must continue to adapt and evolve to ensure sustainable development in the face of rising development costs, slowing industry growth, and headwinds in the overall economy.
The closure is expected to result in the layoff of approximately 70 employees. A spokesperson emphasized, "Bluepoint Games is a talented team whose technical expertise brings exceptional experiences to the PlayStation community. We appreciate their passion, creativity, and craftsmanship." Sony also pledged to explore possible relocation opportunities for affected employees within the PlayStation Studios global network.
From "Remastering Expert" to Frustrated Transformation
Founded in 2006, Bluepoint Games has long been hailed by gamers as a "master of remakes" in the industry. They have developed stunning, high-quality remakes for multiple modern platforms, including the Uncharted collection, Gravity Rush, Shadow of the Colossus, and the Demon's Souls remake, which launched with the PS5 and showcased powerful next-gen graphics.
Riding on the unprecedented success of Demon's Souls, Sony officially acquired Bluepoint Games in 2021, making it a first-party studio, and participated in the co-development of the 2022 blockbuster God of War: Ragnarok.
However, the studio's subsequent independent development did not go smoothly. Bloomberg previously reported that Bluepoint Games then shifted to developing a "service game" based on the God of War series, but with Sony's recent tightening and significant reduction of its service game strategy, the project was cancelled in January 2025. At the time, PlayStation stated that it was discussing the next project with the studio, but unexpectedly, it ended up being shut down.
