Sony closes studio behind Concorde for PS5

Firewalk Studios will be closing, PlayStation co-CEO Hermen Holst announced in a press release on Tuesday. The team was responsible for Concordthe company’s science fiction hero It was bombed hard and was taken offline Just weeks after its launch earlier this year. This news comes less than two years after the PlayStation 5 maker first acquired Firewalk Studios as part of its ambitious plans for live service games.

“Some aspects Concord “It was exceptional, but others didn’t reach enough players, and as a result we took the game offline,” Holst said. In the press release. “We have spent a significant amount of time over the past few months exploring all of our options. After much consideration, we have determined that the best path forward is to permanently shut down the game and close the studio. I would like to thank everyone at Firewalk for their ingenuity, creative spirit, and dedication.

Firewalk Studios was created in 2018 by a few former Bungie developers working on a new multiplayer shooter under the umbrella of the game studio’s startup Probally Monsters, which was formed by former Bungie CEO Harold Ryan. Concord It has been in development for years and was picked up early by Sony as a promising prospect for its lineup of planned live service games.

The initial development deal for the game was worth just over $200 million, according to two sources familiar with the agreement but not authorized to speak about it publicly. but Kotaku You understand that this amount was not enough to cover the entire development of the game and did not include a purchase Concord The intellectual property rights or Firewalk Studios itself, which was acquired by Sony just last year.

Concorda combination of Destiny 2PvP style shooting Monitoring 2The game’s roster of heroes struggled to get out of the gate after being fully revealed at the PlayStation Showcase last May. Initial trailers received very negative feedback from potential players, and open betas over the summer did little to change those perceptions. The final game was reviewed okay, but critics generally felt there wasn’t enough to help Concord stand out in an already crowded field of other multiplayer shooters that were mostly free-to-play.

With some analysts estimating that the game sold only about 25,000 copies in its first week, Concord It was later taken offline less than a month after its launch. Kotaku I mentioned previously Game director Ryan Ellis had resigned internally from his management role on the game while its future was evaluated by Sony’s leadership. Meanwhile, the rest of the team was left in limbo wondering if Firewalk could be run in other Sony projects or shut down entirely.

Hulst also announced today that Neon Koi, which Sony has also acquired in the past few years, will also be shutting down, and the mobile multiplayer shooter it was working on will be cancelled.

Here is Sony’s full statement:

My dear team,

Today, I want to share with you some important updates from Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studio Business Group.

We continually evaluate our gaming portfolio and the status of our projects to ensure we are meeting near- and long-term business priorities. As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the SIE Studio business, we had to make a difficult decision regarding two of our studios – Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios.

Expanding beyond PlayStation consoles and crafting engaging online experiences alongside single-player games are key areas of focus for us as we grow our revenue streams. However, we must be strategic in bringing our games to new platforms and recognize when our games fall short of meeting players’ expectations.

Although mobile continues to be a priority growth area for Studio Business, we are still at a very early stage in our mobile efforts. To succeed in this space, we need to focus on titles that are consistent with PlayStation Studios’ history and have the potential to reach more players globally.

With this refocused approach, Neon Koi would shut down, and its mobile action game would not advance. I want to express my gratitude to everyone at Neon Koi for their hard work and endless passion for innovation.

Regarding Firewalk, as announced in early September (Important update on Concorde), some aspects of Concord were exceptional, but others didn’t reach enough players, and as a result we retired the game. We’ve spent a lot of time over the past few months exploring all of our options.

After much consideration, we have determined that the best path forward is to permanently shut down the game and close the studio. I would like to thank all Firewalk members for their skill, creative spirit and dedication.

The PvP first-person shooter genre is an ever-evolving competitive space, and unfortunately, we didn’t achieve our goals with this title. We will take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to develop our live service capabilities for future growth in this area.

I know none of this is easy to hear, especially with colleagues and friends who are leaving SIE. Both decisions have been given serious thought and, ultimately, we feel they are the right decision to strengthen the organization. Neon Koi and Firewalk have been home to many talented individuals, and we will work to find a place for some of those impacted within our global studio community wherever possible.

I am a strong believer in the benefits of embracing creative experimentation and developing new intellectual property. However, growth through sustainable financial resources, especially in a challenging economic environment, is crucial.

Although today is a difficult day, there is a lot to look forward to in the coming months from Studio Business Group and our teams. I remain confident that we are building a resilient organization capable of creating memorable entertainment experiences for our players.

Thank you for your continued support.