00:00Reports continue to surface that Ben's studio has officially cancelled its unannounced live service project, internally known as MirrorPond, and this time the story has taken on new life because early animations from the game have now appeared online.
00:14While Sony never publicly revealed the project, multiple sources over the last several years had confirmed Ben was working on a multiplayer-focused live service title following Days Gone. With the cancellation now effectively confirmed and development assets leaking into public view, we're finally getting a clearer sense of what MirrorPond may have been and why its loss is emblematic of a much bigger problem inside PlayStation's current strategy.
00:39MirrorPond was reportedly in development for several years occupying the bulk of Ben Studio's resources after Days Gone shipped in 2019.
00:49Rather than moving forward with a sequel or another narrative-driven open-world game, Ben was redirected into Sony's broader push towards live service titles.
00:58At the time, Sony leadership was vocal about its desire to diversify PlayStation's portfolio with games that could generate long-term engagement and recurring revenue.
01:08On paper, they may have sounded like a smart business move, but in practice, it placed studios like Ben into unfamiliar territory, forcing them to abandon the very design philosophies that had defined their success.
01:23The cancellation itself appears to be a part of a larger course correction at Sony.
01:27Over the past year, PlayStation has quietly pulled back from several live service initiatives, either cancelling projects outright or scaling them down significantly.
01:37MirrorPond joins a growing list of games that were never announced, never marketed, and never given the chance to prove themselves publicly.
01:45These weren't small side projects, either. These were multi-year efforts involving dozens, sometimes hundreds of developers.
01:52When a project like this gets cancelled, it's not just a game disappearing, it's creative momentum being wiped away.
01:59What makes the MirrorPond situation particularly interesting is the leaked animation footage.
02:05These assets, while clearly unfinished and early in development, show third-person movement, combat-ready stances, and traversal animations that feel far more grounded than what you'd expect from a trend-chasing live service title.
02:18The character weight, camera positioning, and pacing all suggest a game that may have leaned closer to Ben Studio's traditional strengths than originally assumed.
02:27There's a sense of familiarity here. Something that feels like it could have evolved into a compelling action experience, if given enough time and a clear creative direction.
02:37And that's where the frustration sets in. Ben Studio is a team that excels at world-building, character-driven storytelling, and slow-burn immersion.
02:47Days Gone, despite its rocky launch, found a passionate audience over time and proved there was still interest in what Ben was doing.
02:54Instead of building on that foundation, the Studio spent years chasing a live service model that was never a natural fit.
03:01MirrorPond's leaked animation didn't look bad. If anything, they suggest unrealized potential that never got the chance to fully form.
03:10Zooming out, MirrorPond isn't just about Ben Studio. It's about the risk of chasing industry trends without respecting studio identity.
03:18PlayStation built its reputation on carefully curated, prestige, single-player experiences.
03:24The identity didn't happen by accident. It was the result of trusting studios to do what they do best.
03:30When that trust gets replaced by mandates and market chasing, the results are almost always messy.
03:36MirrorPond is another example of how even well-funded, talented teams can lose years of progress when strategies shift midstream.
03:45There's also a lingering concern about what this means for Ben's future. This is now the second major reset for the studio since Days Gone.
03:53Each restart delays the moment when Ben can reestablish itself creatively and publicly.
03:58While reports indicate the studio has moved on to a new project, the lack of clarity raises questions about how much freedom Ben will naturally have going forward.
04:07Will they finally return to a traditional single-player experience? Or will they once again be nudged towards something that doesn't play to their strengths?
04:15Ultimately, MirrorPond's cancellation feels less like an isolated failure and more like a cautionary tale.
04:24Live service games aren't inherently bad, but they're not one-size-fits-all solutions.
04:29When studios are pulled away from what made them successful in the first place, the cost isn't just financial, it's creative.
04:36The leaked animations serve as a reminder that behind every cancelled project is a version of a game that almost existed, shaped by people who believed in it long before corporate priorities changed.
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05:13Until next time, game on.
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