The mystery shooter bears more than a passing resemblance to Haven Studios' long-delayed multiplayer heist game.
News, screenshots, and footage from a closed playtest for a mystery game dubbed "Project Espresso" are making the rounds online, with growing evidence suggesting that the project is actually Sony Interactive Entertainment and Haven Studios' unreleased multiplayer heist game FAIRGAME$.
On Thursday (10 September), Reddit user GeneProfessional9862 said they had received an invitation to sign up for a playtest for an unannounced game and were "pretty confident" that Project Espresso and FAIRGAME$ were one and the same.
"This is the description and it sounds a lot like fairgames or break in or whatever Sony calls it," the Redditor said, pointing in particular to the tagline "Get in. Get out. Get paid."
They also shared a link to the playtest, which is being hosted on Player.gg, where interested players can currently sign up. According to the page, Player.gg has been given exclusive access to a closed playtest for an "unannounced competitive action shooter" codenamed Project Espresso that is being developed by an AAA studio. More specifically, Project Espresso is described as a "third-person PVPVE competitive action game" where competing teams race to infiltrate high-security locations, steal valuable cargo, and escape before their rivals.
The Player.gg page also includes screenshots and a trailer showing the game in action, with the footage labelled as pre-alpha gameplay captured on a PlayStation 5 Pro. It also confirms that the mystery game is in development for PlayStation 5 and PC.
The footage shows players breaking into secured locations in several ways, disabling security equipment, fighting rival teams, using stealth, stealing loot, and eventually making their escape. Combined with the description of its competitive heist gameplay, the footage immediately drew comparisons to FAIRGAME$ and its original premise.
Why do players think Project Espresso is FAIRGAME$?
There is considerably more linking the two games than just their similar concepts. Insider Gaming reported in April that Haven Studios had already conducted a pre-alpha FAIRGAME$ playtest under the codename "Espresso". The mode tested at the time was called Cargo Heist and involved players entering a map, looting, breaking into vaults, and extracting while fighting rival teams.
The report said four teams of three competed inside a large mansion using a class-based system, with gameplay also featuring grappling and wall-running. It described the game's visual direction as more grounded than FAIRGAME$' colourful 2023 reveal trailer, drawing comparisons to The Division and Call of Duty.
However, the April playtest reportedly struggled, having been met with negative feedback. Insider Gaming said screenshots from the playtest's Discord showed players criticising several core parts of the game, including its movement, NPCs, and class system. Some testers reportedly stopped after only a few matches, while others said teammates would leave mid-game because they found the build incomplete or boring.
The publication has since reported that the new Project Espresso playtest on Player.gg is FAIRGAME$, although neither Sony Interactive Entertainment nor Haven Studios has publicly confirmed the connection.
There has also been speculation that FAIRGAME$ itself could eventually be renamed. Sony Interactive Entertainment filed a trademark for "Break In" in May, with the name believed to be connected to FAIRGAME$ after "Break In" previously appeared as part of the objectives in its Cargo Heist mode.
What is FAIRGAME$?
FAIRGAME$ is an upcoming competitive multiplayer heist game developed by Haven Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 5 and PC.
First announced during the PlayStation Showcase in May 2023, FAIRGAME$ was pitched as a competitive heist experience where players join an underground movement targeting ultra-rich billionaires. Crews would break into forbidden locations, steal valuables, and compete against other players while attempting to complete their heists.
The game has since had a troubled development history. Bloomberg reported in May 2025 that some developers at Haven Studios had concerns about FAIRGAME$' reception and progress following an external test. Haven founder Jade Raymond left the studio shortly afterwards, while the game was reportedly pushed from a planned 2025 release window into 2026.
FAIRGAME$ later lost another senior developer when game director Daniel Drapeau left Haven Studios in 2025. Meanwhile, the April 2026 Espresso playtest suggested that the project had continued to change, with its Cargo Heist mode moving more clearly towards an extraction-style structure built around breaking into vaults, securing loot, and escaping while competing against other teams.
The latest Project Espresso playtest comes as FAIRGAME$ remains without a release date, while Sony and Haven Studios have yet to publicly confirm whether the game is being rebranded as Break In.
