"Gummy Bears" is the rather odd name by which a secret Sony project is currently known. Originally in development at Destiny, Marathon developer Bungie, during its most recent round of layoffs, Sony carved out a small team to work on the allegedly Smash Bros.-inspired MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) and took the secretive project in-house.
Some new details have emerged, courtesy of The Game Post, and at least partially corroborated by Forbes. Apparently, Gummy Bears will feature a percentage-style damage system, with players being knocked back determined by how high it currently is, even being able to fall off the map entirely.
Despite that, the game remains a MOBA at heart, featuring characters corresponding to Support, Attack and Defense classes. There may also be movable towers that players can upgrade throughout a match. Further, Gummy Bears will feature a "lo-fi" aesthetic, with a vibe that appeals to younger players than its previous titles, like Halo or Destiny.
The last little tidbit may be a comfort or concern, depending on where you stand. Internally, Gummy Bears is considered among the most promising projects currently in the oven, with developers repeatedly mentioning how great development is going. Of course, there was similar internal scuttlebutt regarding Concord ahead of launch, and we all know how that turned out. Similarly, Sony devs have been gassing up its seemingly MIA (and probably DOA) next live service punt, Fairgame$, so maybe take that last with a hefty handful of salt.
Does Gummy Bears sound like the project that will improve Sony's dismal live service fortunes? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
[source thegamepost.com, via forbes.com]
Comments 39
Yay more cartoony fortnite indie looking trash, hard pass 🚮🗑️
really hope this trend ends one day 👎
Young audience + moba does not sound great long term to me. Even
Pokémon unite is only doing ok because of a more adult hardcore scene, especially in china.
I can't see enough of a playerbase for a long lasting live service game without a large IP or some stellar gameplay with that target audience in the moba scene of all things. I at least believe the latter might happen though it's very outside bungies comfort zone.
@Kierant202 I agree, maybe using PlayStation characters might be the best idea.
"Sony's dismal live service fortunes"? Don't get me wrong, no company wants to lose the money Concord lost for Sony, not even MS with their bottomless pockets but the so vocal AH ex CEO said it, AH and Sony were expecting 1 million unit sales, they have sold 15 million in less than one year. Destiny 2 not only had a great ending it also made it to the top ranks of money makers for 2024 on steam (based in Steam own rankings) and if we want to go back to other games, thanks to updates GT 7 is very good now and people were excited about My first GT.
Concord was a disaster, Bungie almost died but sony services are making money dude lol, sadly that money came too late from Bungie and just saved half the people fired. Right now there are services in development from good developers like Media Molecule and I wish some people could stop the hypocrisy (when they are playing marvel, cod, fortnite, genshin, etc) and give those future games an actual chance, not just label them like "ugh services" just because Concord was horrendous.
Now talking specifically about Gummy Bears, I don't know if younger people will be interested because a lot of kids only want to shoot stuff but cozy games are peaking these days so it has a chance. Also the idea of it being very fun is something that has been on reports since before Sony intervention or Bungie layoffs, the people at Bungie thought it was fun and I believe in Bungie devs more than in the previous SIE administration so let them cook.
@nomither6 Don't judge a book by its cover.
@AdamNovice yeah might be their best chance of success.
I may be getting it wrong, but did you just say Fairgames will probably be dead on arrival?
About this game, i cant really form an opinion before i’ve seen some gameplay. I’m so confused by people hating on things they know nothing about. Khayl out here already declaring things DOA. I mean, does he know things we dont, or is it just wishful thinking on his part?
@nomither6 People yelling no cartoony indie trash, others yelling no more serious sad dad games, some screaming no live service while loving GT7 and Helldivers, other yelling we want new IP but hate on Concord, others yelling we love Astro Bot, but it doesn't get that much love sales wise.
Playstation really cant win. Whatever decision they make, there will always be people hating.
To say Fairgame$ is DOA is way too pessimistic in my opinion. The few game design details we are aware of already makes it a game that is 20 times better than Concord. Concord was a failure in its core game aspects. People like to gas up the character designs but everyone who played it all agree that the character designs were not even close to being the main problem. It wasn't the vibe either. It was the gameplay and game design itself that was way too simplistic and narrow in scope.
@LogicStrikesAgain I 1000% agree however Astro Bot has surely sold in the very positive end of expectations. Astro Bot has always been a very low volume franchise so far, and this is the first game from them thats been acknowledged universally by all gamers.
Expecting it to sell 10-20m copies is maybe a bit overly enthusiastic, not saying you're the one saying that tho.
Can't wait to watch this fail too. 😁
@Ken_Kaniff Why though? Are people really hating on games now that they havent seen anything from? Where does it end? Does everything you don’t like have to fail?
We haven’t even seen anything yet, if you don't like kiddie games thats fine, but many people do. Look at Nintendos games and how they're selling.
I for one am very curious to see what this might be.
Why don't people let other people enjoy games, instead of wanting things to fail just because they might not be interested in it? It hasn't even been announced yet. Zero gameplay. Some things just baffle me
This will fail. People are tired of these kind of games and they want some intelligent decisions to be made. Sony lost millions on Concord and didn't learn a thing. They completely ignored their customer base and are still trying to make games nobody wants.
It's not a matter of if it's good or not anymore. People can only send a message with money and I guess Sony is fine with losing more of it. How much more can they lose until someone their speaks up and says they need to make good games that people want to buy.
@Lavishturtle What are you talking about? What type of games? Super smash bros type of games? Or MOBAs? How do you know people are tired of it? Did you take a poll or something?
What do you mean with it doesn't matter if its good or bad anymore? What does matter then? 😅
This can be good if done right. Consoles don't have anything close to a proper MOBA, unlike Concord, which was just another in the middle of an already saturated genre. Bet will be cross-play with PC as well, which could garantee some success right away, depending on the model (F2P, paid, etc.)
I have no problem with the more colorful childish look. At least it would be something different from the sad dad template that Sony has been releasing for the last 15 years (which I like too, don't get me wrong).
I’ve gotten fairly decent at telling what will bomb and what will take off by now (minus Helldivers 2, thought it would be a mild success and not the hit it was). This sounds like it’ll bomb because MOBA and kiddie aesthetic is a moronic combination. Fall Guys works as it uses like three buttons, is slapstick and is fun even if you lose. Having a kiddie aesthetic in possibly the most toxic genre of video game imaginable is a mental idea, Pokémon Unite works because it’s Pokémon, not because it’s got a less hardcore aesthetic. MOBAs also aren’t tactile at all, Smash has force feedback and instant results of the buttons you press, making the knockback have impact, smash attacks are incredibly well designed in that you feel the snap of the stick as you charge them which accentuates the feeling of power behind them. Knockback in a game like this just wouldn’t have the same feel to it. This would maybe work ok as a mobile game at most.
@LogicStrikesAgain when you focus on the loud minority instead of the millions upon millions of other people that play video games , then sure. i can see why it would seem like that to you. millions of gamers with millions of different opinions .
i liked concord , people that wanted games like astrobot are pleased - most people aren’t into platformers anymore but the ones that are enjoyed it, and the ones screaming no live service are just people who hadn’t found one to attract them yet until helldivers and GT7
@nomither6 Yes you’re right, as i said, Playstation cant please everybody, cause there will always be people hating.
@LogicStrikesAgain nobodies hating on playstation, playstation has pleased plenty with other projects , this is one game . people don’t have to like everything and people have a right to criticize , you can be upset about that all you want but don’t nag me about it
I don't like to be negative but this sounds like it'll flop.
It's a MOBA? Well this isn't for me.
But good luck to Bungie though cause they really need it. If this and Marathon end up as a failure then i can see Sony put them in the chopping block.
Im sure a rip-off of multiple existing games with totally unknown characters will work this time! Sony has really lost it...
@LogicStrikesAgain Well Im sure Sony atleast would like to please SOMEBODY and not end up with Concord everytime...
I'm not a fan of MOBA or anything PvP.
Prefer co op PvE.
There's room for a MOBA on Playstation as there's only one currently (Smite), so hopefully this is good and more importantly has some sort of fun factor that makes you want to play it non stop like with HellDivers 2 and Fall Guys.
Remember; 3.6 billion could have funded many, many games based on classic and new IPs
Aaaaand another game I will not be playing. Stop chasing that gaas money!
@GymratAmarillo I think part of why people are holding this view is exactly because of one thing you said and you don't realise it:
When people stop playing Marvel, Cod, Fortnite, Genshin etc.
That's the problem. Time for games is limited, and you aren't going to pull people away from the sunk cost fallacy that is a live service they're already in.
If Sony want any of these live service games to be a hit they need to drastically change there strategy. They need to show these games often and give updates and not show it 3 months before release like with Concord. They need to build hype for these games. There trend of radio silence this gen isnt gone to help them.
I won't judge it fully until we know more but it would be a lie to say anything mentioned here gets me excited. I just wish Bungie would make... you know... just a shooter. Go back to their roots so to speak.
Hopefully that Halo rumor turns out true.
I have no idea if this would bomb. I haven’t seen the game in action. It’s a weird combo and I can say I don’t know who it’s for, but I feel that way about a lot of things. I needs to be out in the wild though before being critical is worthwhile though. The game could be better than it sounds. I say this as someone that has typically not synced up with live service games though. The last one I did play on the regular, I think, might have been Destiny 2 circa 2022-ish, I know I dropped Warzone in 2021. Overwatch 2 doesn’t count, don’t care to look up its release date, but I played for like three days and promptly deleted it and said Overwatch 1 just felt like a better product.
I'm tired... so tired to see another wasting of resources... people, money, energy... when this will end??? If Sony has so much money to flush it down the toilet, why do we have so expensive games??? Or throw money out of window. Fund orphanage, plant amazonian forrest, burn them in electric plant, cut them into pillow filling... just use them on something that has some meaning... not this...
Think people are getting tooo caught up on the younger audience thing.. Dont really think Lo-fi graphics = children. At least it sounds interesting enough on paper and are least trying something a little bit different to their usual games, thats what people want right? Devs taking chances, something new for them etc
@nomither6 I didn't say you were hating on Playstation, i said whatever decision Playstation makes there will be people hating on that decision. And your first response calling this cartoony indie trash that needs to stop is a perfect example of it. Don't tell me that is not hating on something? Its literally an unannounced game, with zero gameplay or any footage whatsoever, and even the picture might be something that totally misrepresents the game.
Im not saying you or others cant have opinions, i don't like everything Sony does. Im just saying whatever Sony does, there will be people hating on that decision.
People are even prematurely hating on games they know next to nothing about, just some rumours. To me thats not constructive criticism, its plain old premature hating. And especially people saying that it needs to fail just because it doesn't align with their tastes. To me thats is weird, people are pre judging games based on assumptions and are jumping to conclusions.
And hey, everyone has the right to btw, im not hating on you or other people for expressing your opinion. I just think its way too early to tell personally.
Or we could just get a PlayStation All Stars 2, with MOBA-lite elements?
A MOBA (popular genre) mixed with a simple and proven Smash-like gameplay system could actually be real fun. Say what you will about personal preferences, at least something like THIS sounds unique and worth trying.
I don't think Sony's failures in the live service space have purely been aesthetic. I don't think they're offering anything fresh and engaging enough for people to care. Say what you will about Concord's visual styling, its true curse was that it did NOTHING new or engaging. This, if rumors are true, could at least be worth playing.
Perhaps the gameplay will change my mind but this very much sounds like it isn't for me lol
Team Asobi should be involved in it.. that’s the dev that should been in the first place.
PlayStation characters would been a nice addition.
This Fortnite character layout just don’t look and I don’t know the reason why devs are going that route. The Horizon multiplayer game was rumored to be like that and it’s just not very appealing to be honest.
See titles "Gummie Bears" is that old to remember the cartoon show that I immediately sing the theme tune to it
Gummmmmie bears, bouncing here and there and everywhere Gummmmmmmie beaaaaaaars
Sorry things like that always happen in my head
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