Sony’s live service experiment keeps getting messier. Robert Morrison, a former senior animator at Bend Studios, just confirmed what many suspected about the studio’s cancelled live service game: it was going nowhere fast. After nearly three years in development, the project code-named Mirror Pond got the axe in January 2025 because the team simply hadn’t made enough substantial progress. Morrison, who worked at the studio from July 2022 to June 2025, says he saw the cancellation coming before it was officially announced.
What Was Mirror Pond
According to Morrison’s LinkedIn profile, Mirror Pond was built using the Decima engine, the same technology that powers Horizon Zero Dawn, Death Stranding, and Killzone. The project involved hand-keyed and motion capture based animation for main player characters and NPCs, with close collaboration between programmers, designers, and animators to prototype and refine gameplay systems. That sounds like typical development work, except for one problem: nothing was actually coming together.
Leaked concept art and UI designs that surfaced earlier this year suggested Mirror Pond was shaping up to be a military-style multiplayer loot shooter. Think Destiny meets Call of Duty, but set in an open world similar to what Bend Studios created for Days Gone. The studio wanted to leverage its expertise in building large-scale environments and open-world systems, but translate that into a multiplayer experience that could generate recurring revenue through live service mechanics.
Why Sony Pulled The Plug
Three years in development with minimal progress is a death sentence for any project, especially when you’re burning through Sony’s budget with a full studio staff. Morrison’s comment that he could see the cancellation coming suggests this wasn’t a sudden decision. Leadership at Sony likely gave Bend multiple chances to demonstrate momentum, but the studio couldn’t deliver milestones that justified continued investment.
The cancellation came as part of a broader review of Sony’s live service portfolio in January 2025. At the same time, Sony also killed off a God of War live service game being developed by Bluepoint Games. That project had been in the works since Bluepoint finished supporting God of War Ragnarok in 2022. Both cancellations happened shortly after Concord’s spectacular failure in August 2024, when Sony’s hero shooter crashed so hard the company refunded everyone and shut down the entire developer, Firewalk Studios.
The Human Cost
When Sony cancelled Mirror Pond, around 40 developers lost their jobs. That represented roughly 30 percent of Bend Studios’ entire workforce. These weren’t just random cuts. People who had spent years building systems, creating animations, and designing levels suddenly had nothing to show for their work except LinkedIn entries for a cancelled project nobody will ever play.
Morrison himself moved on to Void Interactive, the studio behind the tactical shooter Ready or Not. But not everyone landed on their feet so quickly. The layoffs hit in June 2025, months after the actual cancellation, which suggests Sony tried to figure out what to do with these employees before ultimately deciding cuts were necessary. According to Bloomberg’s reporting at the time, Sony said it was working to minimize business impact and help both Bend and Bluepoint determine their next projects.
This Isn’t Bend’s First Cancelled Game
Mirror Pond wasn’t the only victim. Multiple former employees have referenced cancelled or shelved projects at Bend Studios on their LinkedIn profiles. Jacob Fieth, who worked at the studio from 2019 to June 2025, mentioned working on multiple cancelled slash unannounced projects during his tenure. He was creating open world events, missions, puzzles, and point of interest layouts, which suggests at least some of these projects had reached substantial development before getting axed.
The most painful cancellation for fans was the Days Gone sequel that never happened. After Days Gone launched in 2019 to mixed reviews but eventual cult classic status, Bend Studios wanted to make a sequel. Sony reportedly passed on it, and internal disagreements over the decision led to the departure of both game directors, John Garvin and Jeff Ross, in 2020. Instead of Days Gone 2, the studio pivoted to live service development. That gamble obviously didn’t pay off.
Sony’s Live Service Problem
Sony’s push into live service games has been a disaster outside of Helldivers 2. At one point, the company wanted to release 12 live service games over a few years alongside its traditional single-player blockbusters. By May 2023, Sony cut that number in half, saying it wanted to focus on quality over quantity. That statement aged like milk.
Here’s the damage so far. Concord launched, failed, and got refunded within weeks. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us multiplayer game was cancelled in December 2023. A live service Twisted Metal game got canned. Bungie’s Destiny spinoff called Payback never materialized. The God of War and Mirror Pond projects both died in January 2025. Meanwhile, Fairgame$, the heist-themed live service game from Haven Studios, was reportedly delayed after receiving negative feedback from testers. Studio head Jade Raymond left shortly after.
The only bright spot has been Helldivers 2, which became a massive hit and one of the best-selling games of 2024. But one success doesn’t justify the wreckage of cancelled projects, closed studios, and laid-off developers.
What’s Next For Bend Studios
Bend Studios is reportedly working on a new project, but details are basically nonexistent. Job listings from earlier this year mentioned third-person melee action gameplay, enemy and boss character design, and combat systems. That sounds more like a traditional single-player action game than another live service attempt, which would make sense given Sony’s recent failures in that space.
The studio has decades of experience making excellent single-player games. The Syphon Filter series defined stealth action on PlayStation. Uncharted: Golden Abyss showed the studio could handle big franchises. Days Gone proved Bend could create compelling open-world experiences. Forcing this team into live service development was always a questionable decision, and the results speak for themselves.
FAQs
What was Mirror Pond?
Mirror Pond was a live service multiplayer game being developed by Bend Studios using the Decima engine. Based on leaked materials, it appeared to be a military-style loot shooter with open-world elements. The project was cancelled in January 2025 after three years of development.
Why was Mirror Pond cancelled?
According to former Bend Studios animator Robert Morrison, the project was cancelled because the team didn’t make enough substantial progress over three years of development. Sony conducted a review of its live service projects and decided to pull the plug.
How many people lost their jobs when Mirror Pond was cancelled?
Approximately 40 developers, representing about 30 percent of Bend Studios’ workforce, were laid off in June 2025 following the project’s cancellation in January. The layoffs came several months after the actual cancellation.
What engine was Mirror Pond built on?
Mirror Pond used the Decima engine, which was developed by Guerrilla Games and powers franchises like Horizon, Killzone, and Death Stranding. This was the first time Bend Studios worked with Decima instead of their own proprietary technology.
Is Days Gone 2 still happening?
No. Sony reportedly passed on a Days Gone sequel after the first game received mixed reviews, despite eventually gaining a cult following. The rejection of Days Gone 2 led to the departure of both game directors and pushed Bend Studios toward live service development instead.
What is Bend Studios working on now?
Bend Studios is developing a new unannounced project. Recent job listings suggest it may be a third-person action game with melee combat, boss fights, and traditional single-player mechanics rather than another live service attempt. No release window or official details have been announced.
Why did Sony cancel so many live service games?
Sony’s live service strategy has largely failed outside of Helldivers 2. Concord flopped spectacularly, multiple projects were cancelled due to lack of progress or negative feedback, and the company decided to refocus on quality over quantity after initially planning to release 12 live service games within a few years.
Conclusion
The cancellation of Mirror Pond represents everything wrong with chasing live service trends instead of playing to your strengths. Bend Studios built its reputation on excellent single-player experiences, but Sony pushed the team into unfamiliar territory with predictable results. Three years of development with minimal progress, 40 people laid off, and nothing to show for it except LinkedIn entries for a game that will never exist. Robert Morrison’s admission that he saw the cancellation coming just confirms what should have been obvious from the start: forcing a talented single-player studio to make a live service shooter was always going to end badly. Hopefully whatever Bend is working on now will let the team do what it does best instead of chasing multiplayer trends that clearly aren’t working.