Summary
PlayStationhas officially introduced teamLFG, a newly-formed studio comprised of talent from Bungie, Roblox, Fortnite, etc., as the gaming giant’s 21st first-party studio. While details on teamLFG’s debut game are tightly under wraps,PlayStationhas teased lofty ambitions and a live-service format for the project.
Interestingly, the inception of teamLFG was informally announced last year. AlongsideBungie’s mass layoffs in July 2024, it was revealed that 155 (around 12 percent) of the studio’s staffers, who would’ve otherwise been laid off, will be transferred to PlayStation parent company Sony Interactive Entertainment. There, a number of these transferred employees would be part of the formation of a brand-new studio that would take on one of Bungie’s most promising incubation projects, purportedly codenamedGummy Bears.
Over on thePlayStation Blog, Sony has now christened this Bungie spin-off studio “teamLFG” and formally confirmed its addition toPlayStation’s first-party lineup. Based in Bellevue, Washington, teamLFG (LFG stands for Looking For Group) consists of developers with experience of industry titans likeDestiny,Halo,League of Legends,Fortnite,Roblox, andRec Room. According to PlayStation Studio Group CEO Hermen Hulst, teamLFG is “fully formed” and working on an “ambitious incubation project.” This debut title is a team-based action game that draws inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and “frog-type games,” the latter of which is a bit unclear at the moment.
teamLFG’s Live-Service Game Will Employ an Early Access Approach
Set in a lighthearted science-fantasy universe, teamLFG’s live-service game is designed to foster a space where “players can find friendship, community, and belonging.” These details line up perfectly withBungie’s 2023 synopsis ofProject Gummy Bears, all but confirming that this is indeed the game teamLFG is working on. Rather importantly, teamLFG plans to involve the community throughout the game’s development lifecycle, including early access playtests - a first for any PlayStation game - and regular feedback integration post-launch. However, it’ll likely be a few years until teamLFG is ready to announce its live-service game.
The announcement of teamLFG marks the second instance of a brand-new PlayStation in-house studio addition this year. Back in March,Dark Outlaw was revealed as a new PlayStation first-party teamhelmed byCall of Duty Zombiesdirector and producer Jason Blundell and based in Los Angeles, California. Unlike teamLFG, though, nothing is currently known about Dark Outlaw’s debut game and whether it could also sport a live-service format. Some PlayStation fans have raised eyebrows over teamLFG’s live-service game, especially after the gargantuan failure ofConcord. However, considering Sony canceled several live-service projects across its first-party studios in recent years, the gaming giant might be quite confident in what the nascent team is developing.
