Concord flopping didn’t deter PlayStation from pumping out team-based competitive games. This time around, under the PlayStation Studio umbrella, the console maker has appointed the Destiny creator to the task. According to The Game Post, Bungie is now working hard to realize Gummy Bears, a ‘vibrant and colorful’ Smash Bros-inspired MOBA game for younger demographics.
Having been in development for three years, this so-called Gummy Bears project received ‘overwhelmingly positive feedback’ from its playtesters. It’s described as Bungie’s ‘most fun’ project, with easy-to-get-into ‘lo-fi and cozy vibes.’ Of course, this is a sharp departure from the studio’s dramatic sci-fi worlds from Oni to Halo, Destiny, and the upcoming Marathon reboot. The development team believes the Smash Bros-like MOBA will help them diversify Bungie’s portfolio.
In terms of gameplay, Bungie’s MOBA will use a ‘percentage-based’ damage system and players can fall off maps. Similar to Nintendo’s beat-em-up series, characters are knocked back depending on the damage they’ve taken or inflicted. Meanwhile, like Multiversus, each character will come in different classes, such as Attack, Defense, and Support.
Multiple game modes are currently in development and players can hang out between matches while ‘expressing their identities.’
Interestingly, The Game Post also pointed out a recent patent filing that might be relevant to Bungie’s Smash Bros MOBA Gummy Bears. Said patent describes a mechanic where towers, common objectives in MOBA games, can ‘dynamically move’ and even use special attacks.
Before Bungie’s project, PlayStation once released a Smash Bros-like game called PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale in 2012. Developed for PS3 and Vita by SuperBot Entertainment, it featured some iconic characters from PlayStation history. Even so, judging from the leaked concept art, this project isn’t going to be a crossover game.
While there is no mention of its release date, Gummy Bears could be one of six PlayStation’s games-as-a-service released sometime between 2025 to early 2026. It’s not clear whether it will become a console exclusive or will be launched on PC as well.
Previously, Sony President Hiroki Totoki publicly said that PlayStation need more quality control to avoid another Concord situation. During the investor call, the company decided to delay six of the 12 upcoming live-service games that were supposed to come out before March 2026.
Nevertheless, PlayStation Studios CEO Hermen Hulst remains committed to its live service strategy. “Going forward, we will continue to focus on developing live services,” said Hulst in an interview.
