PlayStation Bets on Live Service Despite Concord and Marathon Stumbles

Sony’s PlayStation division is doubling down on live service games, aiming to “revitalize the market” despite mixed results from its recent titles — Concord, Marathon, and Destiny. This commitment emerged during a recent corporate briefing, showing that Sony isn’t backing down from a strategy that’s already cost the company hundreds of millions in development. In Concord’s case, they even had to shut it down just two weeks after launch.

The timing is hard to ignore. Bungie’s extraction shooter Marathon launched in early 2026 but has struggled to retain players. Currently, it sits at 9,653 concurrent users on Steam, a concerning figure for a game with AAA aspirations. Adding to the turmoil, the studio’s CEO departed in late June 2026. This follows Sony’s acquisition of Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2022. Meanwhile, Marathon’s ongoing Season 2 has faced a loot distribution issue that Bungie has called “difficult to explain.” There’s also a proposed PvE mode that’s stirred debate about its potential impact on the game’s economy.

The failure of Concord stands out as a glaring example against Sony’s live service goals. The game was pulled from sale after selling fewer than 25,000 copies in its first week, according to estimates from Insider Gaming. This makes it one of the biggest failures in PlayStation’s publishing history. Meanwhile, Destiny, which was meant to anchor Bungie’s live service lineup, saw a steady decline in players throughout 2024 and 2025. This drop coincided with Bungie’s restructuring and the layoff of about 17 percent of its workforce.

Despite these setbacks, PlayStation’s leadership views the situation as a timing issue rather than a strategic failure. As reported by Wccftech, they believe the live service space is on the brink of a shakeout that will ultimately favor first-party titles once the weaker competitors drop out. For this theory to hold, Sony needs to deliver games that keep players engaged — something none of its recent live service titles have achieved at scale. The company also hinted at a PlayStation 6 handheld during the same briefing, suggesting possible hardware plans that could create a new platform for these games.

Marathon’s Steam review score of 80 percent positive from nearly 47,000 reviews presents an interesting contradiction. Players who buy the game often appreciate its art direction and atmosphere. However, keeping players engaged is another story. The current player count indicates that goodwill doesn’t necessarily lead to retention, which is crucial for a live service game’s financial success.

By The Numbers

Marathon Current Steam Players	9,653
Marathon Steam Review Score	80% positive (46,942 reviews)
Marathon Steam Price	$27.99
Marathon Release Date	March 5, 2026
Bungie Acquisition Cost (2022)	$3.6 billion

Player sentiment on Steam highlights the retention issue directly. One reviewer shared, “I didn’t like it at all, just got obliterated immediately and had no idea what to do. I like the art and the atmosphere and lore, that’s why I bought it, but it was just not fun for me.” This feedback pattern — strong visuals but weak onboarding and low stickiness — consistently appears and suggests a design flaw rather than a marketing one.

What To Watch

• Marathon’s player floor: Whether the game stabilizes around its current 9,000-player range or continues to decline through the second half of 2026 will influence whether Bungie takes more aggressive structural actions. This includes possibly expanding the PvE mode, which could either attract a broader audience or further divide it.
• Sony’s next live service reveal: PlayStation has more unannounced live service projects in the works. How Sony positions and prices these titles — and whether it adjusts its onboarding approach after Marathon’s steep learning curve faced criticism — will show if leadership has learned from its recent mistakes.
• Bungie’s leadership transition: The CEO’s departure in June 2026 leaves the studio’s future direction uncertain. A permanent appointment and the new creative goals will indicate if Bungie continues as a live service specialist or shifts towards a broader game portfolio under Sony’s wing.