Sony is shutting down Firewalk Studio following the lacklustre performance of its online shooter, Concord, which failed to generate sales, was removed from sale, and had its servers disabled just two weeks after its initial release in August earlier this year. In September, Sony acknowledged that the “launch didn’t land the way we’d intended.”
“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,” Hermen Hulst, CEO of the Studio Business Group at Sony, said in an internal email.
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Firewalk Studios Isn’t the Only Studio Closing Down
Notably, Firewalk Studios, which Sony acquired in April 2023, isn’t the only one that is being shut down; Neon Koi, formerly known as Savage Game Studios from Germany, is also part of the axe. “As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen SIE’s Studio Business, we have had to make a difficult decision relating to two of our studios – Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios,” Hermen Hulst announced.
Cumulatively, these closures will reportedly lead to 210 people losing their jobs (as reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier). Of the 210, 38 employees work at Neon Koi, and the other 172 work at Firewalk.
In addition to this, Hermen Hulst emphasises that Sony’s key focus is on making “engaging online experiences alongside our single-player games.”
“We need to be strategic, though, in bringing our games to new platforms and recognising when our games fall short of meeting player expectations.”
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What Happened With Concord?
Concord on the PS5 and Windows, developed by Firewalk Studios, failed to garner sales. This was primarily due to the intense competition in the category, with many competing shooters being free to play.
Hermen Hulst also confirmed that “we did not hit our targets with this title.”
Following the cessation of sales, Sony immediately announced that “we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC. If you purchased the game for PlayStation 5 from the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct, a refund will be issued back to your original payment method.”
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