Sony closes Firewalk Studios, Developer of Concord

Firewalk Studios has officially ceased operations. In a statement, PlayStation co-CEO Hermen Hulst mentioned that the studio, known for the AAA hero shooter Concord, is shutting down after “assessing all our options,”particularly following a significant launch failure. Sony had acquired Firewalk Studios in 2023 as part of its strategy to expand in the live-service sector.

The multiplayer shooter, which allowed matches between five players on each team, debuted on PC and PlayStation 5 in August. However, it soon became apparent that player interest was minimal for the $40 title. Within a week of release, Steam’s player count plummeted to fewer than 100, with only approximately 25,000 copies sold across all platforms.

On September 3, Sony terminated the game’s servers and initiated a refund process for those who had purchased Concord. Later that month, Ryan Ellis, the creative director of the game, reportedly resigned from his role.

“While there were remarkable elements within Concord, several features failed to resonate with players, leading us to take the game offline. We have devoted significant time in recent months to evaluating all possible alternatives,”Hulst stated candidly in his recent update. “After thorough consideration, we concluded that the most prudent course of action is to permanently retire the game and close the studio. I want to express gratitude to everyone at Firewalk for their artistry, innovative spirit, and commitment.”

He emphasized that Sony and Firewalk did not meet essential benchmarks for success in the highly competitive PvP shooter landscape. “The insights gained from Concord will inform our efforts to enhance live service capabilities, driving future growth in this domain,”he remarked.

In addition to Firewalk Studios, Sony is also shutting down Neon Koi, a mobile gaming development studio that has been working on an action-oriented project. This studio, acquired in 2022 as part of Sony’s PlayStation Studios mobile division and previously known as Savage Game Studios, will also discontinue its unnamed mobile initiative.

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