In a predictable though lamentable end to the saga of Sony’s latest would-be multiplayer hit, Concord, the publisher is closing Firewalk Studios, the developer behind the game.
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier broke the news. Sony then published an internal email from CEO Hermen Hulst confirming that it’s actually shutting down two studios: Firewalk and Neon Koi, a mobile developer made up of veterans from Rockstar and Wargaming and formerly known as Savage Games. Sony purchased the former in 2023 and the latter in 2022. Now they’re both victims of what has proven to be a tumultuous year for the purveyor of all things PlayStation, which also laid off 17 percent of Bungie and, of course, took Concord offline after the game crashed and burned at launch after a lengthy, expensive development cycle resulted in a game that was competently made but felt immediately dated.
"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 [Concord] and close the studio,” Hulst wrote in today’s email. “I want to thank all of Firewalk for their craftsmanship, creative spirit and dedication. The PvP first person shooter genre is a competitive space that’s continuously evolving, and unfortunately, we did not hit our targets with this title. We will take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to advance our live service capabilities to deliver future growth in this area."
A Sony spokesperson told Bloomberg that 210 people will lose their jobs as a result of these closures.
In his email, Hulst added that Firewalk and Neon Koi – which was working on an unannounced mobile action game that will never see the light of day – 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.”
As someone who was offered a similar non-guarantee after learning that a role would be terminated, I hope that Sony actually means what it’s saying here. Experience, however, has taught me to be extremely skeptical.
