The future of PlayStation's upcoming live-service title Fairgames faces renewed uncertainty after its creative director, Daniel Drapeau, confirmed his departure from Haven Studios to join Warner Bros. Games Montreal.
This marks the second high-profile exit this summer, following studio founder Jade Raymond's departure in May - which occurred weeks after reports of a tepid response during external playtesting.
"I've joined WB Games Montreal as creative director this week," Drapeau announced in a LinkedIn update. "Excited to begin this incredible journey with the talented team here. Special thanks to Yves Lachance, Logan A. Lesage, and Bryan Theberge for their trust during this transition. Let's make something great!"
The development team change comes during a turbulent period for the project, compounded by inaccurate industry speculation. Last month, analyst Michael Pachter erroneously claimed the game had been canceled before retracting his statement and admitting he had "no information about the game's status."
Neither Haven Studios nor Sony have issued official statements regarding Drapeau's departure.
The news further challenges confidence in PlayStation's struggling live-service initiative. Sony's 2022 announcement outlined plans to release over 10 live-service titles by March 2026, with promises to deliver diverse genres for different audiences. The strategy prompted significant studio acquisitions, including Destiny creator Bungie, the now-defunct Firewalk Studios, and Haven Studios.
Firewalk Studios, developers of the ill-fated Concord, created what became one of PlayStation's most notable failures. Following disastrously low player counts at launch, Sony axed the game and subsequently closed the studio entirely.
The Concord debacle followed Sony's cancellation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer project. Earlier this year, reports emerged of two unannounced live-service cancellations - including a Bluepoint-developed God of War title and another project from Days Gone creator Bend Studio.
One bright spot remains Arrowhead's Helldivers 2, which shattered records as PlayStation Studios' fastest-selling title with 12 million copies sold within three months of release.
Fairgames (stylized as Fairgame$) promises "a competitive modern heist experience where teams infiltrate high-value locations to steal cargo," requiring players to bypass security while outmaneuvering rival teams. The game currently lacks a confirmed release window.
