Sony Shuts Down Bluepoint Games Despite Critical Acclaim

When Excellence Isn't Enough

Sony is shutting down Bluepoint Games, the studio behind critically acclaimed remakes of Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls. 70 employees will lose their jobs when the studio closes in March, following what Sony calls a "recent business review."

The irony is stark. Bluepoint didn't fail because they made bad games—quite the opposite. Their remakes were masterclasses in technical craftsmanship. Shadow of the Colossus scored 91 on Metacritic, while Demon's Souls became one of the PS5's most celebrated launch titles. Yet technical excellence apparently wasn't enough to save them.

The Remake Trap

Bluepoint's specialty was their curse. They were the industry's go-to studio for "perfect" remakes—taking beloved classics and rebuilding them from the ground up with stunning visual fidelity. But remakes, no matter how brilliant, don't create new intellectual property. They don't build franchises. They're expensive nostalgia projects with limited long-term value.

Industry veterans are split on the closure. Some see it as inevitable—a studio that specialized in looking backward in an industry obsessed with what's next. Others argue Sony gave up too soon, that Bluepoint deserved a chance to prove they could create original content.

The Broader Gaming Reckoning

This closure reflects deeper tensions in the gaming industry. Development costs have skyrocketed—AAA games now routinely cost $100+ million to produce. Publishers are increasingly risk-averse, preferring established franchises over experimental projects. Yet they're also cutting studios that play it "too safe" with remakes.

For developers, the message is mixed: be innovative but not too risky, create new IP but leverage existing properties, think big but keep costs down. It's a nearly impossible balance, and Bluepoint's closure shows even technical mastery isn't protection against these contradictions.