Summary
- Jade Raymond has left Haven Studios, raising concerns about the fate of Fairgames.
- The live-service shooter recently held its first public playtest.
- It's unclear why the founder left Haven Studios, but many believe that Fairgames will now be delayed.
Jade Raymond, founder of the PlayStation-owned Haven Studios, has reportedly left her own company before the development studio has even released its first game. There is no indication as to why Raymond has left Haven and PlayStation behind, though her departure raises some concern about the future of the planned live-service shooter Fairgames.
Raymond has a bountiful portfolio of experience in the gaming industry. After getting her start as a programmer for Sony, she earned her first producer gig in 2002 with EA's The Sims Online. She then became a driving force behind the early games in the Assassin's Creed franchise for Ubisoft, serving as a producer for the first entry, executive producer for Assassin's Creed 2 and Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, and managing director for Assassin's Creed Unity.
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After also holding high-ranking positions with Google and Motive Studio, Raymond founded Haven Studio in 2021 with the aim of creating an entirely new IP, and Sony Interactive Entertainment acquired the studio in the summer of 2022. A little over four years since founding Haven, Raymond has left it behind for unknown reasons, according to an official statement from PlayStation reported by Bloomberg. A spokesperson for Sony said the company was "deeply grateful for her leadership and contributions," sending well-wishes to her in the next phase of her career, but it doesn't indicate whether she left on her own terms.
Fairgames Developer is Under New Leadership
News of Raymond's departure comes soon after a public test of Fairgames, the first title in development at Haven. Initially revealed at the PlayStation Showcase in May 2023, Fairgames drew early comparisons to Watch Dogs, another IP for which Raymond had served as executive producer. While primarily marketed as a third-person shooter, Fairgames also carries some heist-like elements, which have drawn the attention of some fans of Ubisoft's action-adventure series.
In the wake of Raymond's departure, the development studio will now be headed jointly by former Executive Producer Marie-Eve Danis and Head of Production Pierre-Francois Sapinski. A statement from Sony indicates that the company is still committed to supporting Haven, but there is growing concern that Fairgames may never see the light of day. Several other live-service projects for PlayStation have been canceled over the past several months, with former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida calling the live-service model a risky investment. Most notably, Firewalk Studios' Concord was shut down on September 6, 2024, just two weeks after it launched, leading Sony to issue refunds to players who had paid $40 to access it.
