PlayStation 5 Exclusive Quietly Cancelled Right Under Our Noses, Says Developer

3 days ago 10

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Console exclusives are a fascinating concept in 2026, as Microsoft considers making more AAA games available on additional platforms. They can also be a big risk, especially when you factor in a limited audience. In this case, one PlayStation 5 exclusive seems to have been a casualty of the system.

According to a report from PlayStation Lifestyle, a PS5 console exclusive has quietly been canceled. Originally slated for 2025, some fans speculated it was merely delayed, but its fate has possibly been sealed.

A PlayStation 5 Console Exclusive Has Been Cancelled, Apparently

You Hate To See It

In the May 2024 edition of PlayStation's State of Play, Sony revealed Ballad of Antara, a mystifying-looking action RPG. According to the studio, it was slated for a 2025 release, but that seems to be the end of the line.

The report notes that a concept artist for the project, under the username "yuehai2000," posted on X that the game was canceled in response to a fan. When asked by a fan what the art was for, tyuehai2000 noted: "A canceled game project titled Ballad of Antara." Although they scrubbed their account, there's more evidence for the game's cancellation.

An X post by insider Lunatic Ignus also explains the situation: "Ballad of Antara is about to be canceled. Sources from China, Jinghe and Game Grape, revealed in January 2025 that Paper Games, the parent company that owns Tipsworks, had a major restructuring with the team behind the game, drastically reducing the team from 120 devs to 20."

Allegedly, the game had only a "single playable chapter from 2021 to 2024," which caused some strife at the company amid cuts. Given the heavy rise in action RPGs in the past decade or so, this was one that was on multiple people's radars, including folks here at ScreenRant. Given that it was featured in a State of Play, Sony clearly had some confidence in it as well.

Ballad Of Antara Is MIA

Its Fate Isn't Official Yet

Although we don't know the official fate of Ballad of Antara,we could see a full cancellation notice in the near future. We've seen this time and time again from other games, and it won't be the last. The industry is undergoing multiple challenges at the moment, and an ambitious project like this takes a lot of time to polish and get right.

To speculate a bit, it's possible that this game was devised at the height of the current generation Souls-like craze post-Elden Ring, and the market became so saturated that the team had to adjust multiple times. In any case, the PlayStation 5 seems to have one fewer exclusive.