Eind augustus bracht Sony PlayStation de hero shooter Concord uit voor de PlayStation 5 en pc. Een aantal weken later bleek dat de game een enorme flop was waarop Sony besloot de game uit de lucht en de verkoop te halen. Een nogal rigoureuze beslissing, wat vrij uniek was.

De vraag nadien is tot op heden geweest: wat gaat Sony met Concord doen? Ze gaven bij hun eerdere bericht aan dat ze naar nieuwe manieren zouden gaan kijken om hun spelers te bereiken, wat eventueel een free-to-play route suggereerde, maar dat is nu definitief van de baan.

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO, Hermen Hulst, heeft een brief geschreven aan alle medewerkers en daaruit blijkt dat ze Firewalk Studios hebben gesloten. Sony heeft de afgelopen periode gebruikt om alle opties af te wegen en daaruit is gebleken dat het ‘sunsetten’ van de game en het sluiten van de ontwikkelaar de beste keuze is.

Hieronder de brief van Hulst in zijn volledigheid, waarin ook de mobiele ontwikkelaar Neon Koi wordt genoemd, die eveneens gesloten is.

“Dear Team,

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

We consistently evaluate our games portfolio and status of our projects to ensure we are meeting near and long-term business priorities. 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.

Expanding beyond PlayStation devices and crafting engaging online experiences alongside our single-player games are key focal areas for us as we evolve our revenue streams.  We need to be strategic, though, in bringing our games to new platforms and recognize when our games fall short of meeting player expectations.

While mobile remains a priority growth area for the Studio Business, we are in the very early stage of our mobile efforts.  To achieve success in this area we need to concentrate on titles that are in-line with PlayStation Studios’ pedigree and have the potential to reach more players globally.

With this re-focused approach, Neon Koi will close, and its mobile action game will not be moving forward. I want to express my gratitude to everyone at Neon Koi for their hard work and endless passion to innovate.

Regarding Firewalk, as announced in early September  (An Important Update on Concord), 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.

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.

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.”