Sony has confirmed what many of us feared would happen. Concord will not be brought back, and Firewalk Studios is closing its doors. Technically, the news comes from an internal email from Herman Hulst, though it was announced on the SIE Blog. The post regarded two studio closures, one of them being Firewalk, and the other being mobile game studio Neon Koi. Neon Koi was working on an action mobile game ahead of its closure, but Sony never publicly announced what it was. Now, we’ll likely never know, since that project isn’t being moved to another team, it’s also being shut down. In the case of Neon Koi, Hulst marks this closure as part of PlayStation’s growing pains with making mobile games, saying “while mobile remains a priority growth area for the Studio Business, we are in the very early stage of our mobile efforts.” Hulst then moves right along to Concord and Firewalk, putting the final nail in the coffin to a live service game that barely lasted two weeks. “Regarding Firewalk, as announced in early September, certain aspects of Concord were exceptional, but others did not land with enough players, and as a result we took the game offline. We have spent considerable time these past few months exploring all our options.” “After much thought, we have determined the best path forward is to permanently sunset the game and close the studio. I want to thank all of Firewalk for their craftsmanship, creative spirit and dedication.” Hulst went on to talk about how competitive it is to make a hit first-person shooter title, and that the company will take the lessons it learned from Concord forward into its future live service projects. If you’re really wanting a silver lining out of all this, it’s that Hulst does say not everyone at both studios is losing their jobs – some will be placed in new roles across the company. Hulst does not however provide any specifics as to how many people have been let go, and how many still have a job. “I know none of this is easy news to hear, particularly with colleagues and friends departing SIE. Both decisions were given serious thought, and ultimately, we feel they are the right ones to strengthen the organization. Neon Koi and Firewalk were home to many talented individuals, and we will work to find placement for some of those impacted within our global community of studios where possible. I am a big believer in the benefits of embracing creative experimentation and developing new IP. However, growing through sustainable financials, especially in a challenged economic environment is critical. While today is a difficult day, there is much to look forward to in the months ahead from the Studio Business Group and our teams. I remain confident that we are building a resilient and capable organization driven by creating unforgettable entertainment experiences for our players. Thank you for your continued support.” While Firewalk Studios had been working on Concord prior to becoming a PlayStation Studios team, it joined the family officially only in April 2023. A little more than a year later, the studio is no more. Yes, Concord was a financial failure, but that doesn’t make it any less upsetting to see talented developers lose their jobs. Source – [SIE Blog] The post Sony Is Shutting Down Concord For Good And Closing Firewalk Studios appeared first on PlayStation Universe.
Source: https://www.psu.com/news/sony-is-shutti ... k-studios/
