Sony has announced the closure of Firewalk Studios, the studio behind the PlayStation game Concord, which went offline last month after a disappointing launch.
In a message to PlayStation staff, Hermen Hulst, CEO of the PlayStation studio group, confirmed that Firewalk Studios will close, along with Neon Koi, a mobile. The shutdowns are expected to affect about 210 jobs, according to Bloomberg.
Read more: Sony's withdrawal of Concord caused reactions
“We have spent a lot of time exploring all of our options over the past few months,” said Hulst. “After careful consideration, we have decided that the best path forward is to permanently suspend the game and close the studio. I want to thank everyone at Firewalk for their excellence, creative spirit, and dedication.”
Hulst also noted that Concord did not meet Sony's expectations, adding that the PlayStation maker "will learn from Concord and move forward with developing our live services capabilities to ensure future growth in this area.".
Concord debuted on August 23rd on PS5 and PC, but Sony took it offline on September 6th due to low sales. The game's sales are estimated to be under 25,000, with Concord peaking at 697 players on Steam, less than the 1,000 of top-selling The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
Sony's mobile game development studio Neon Koi is also closing, although Hulst had stated that "mobile remains a priority for development." Sony had acquired the German-Finnish studio when it was known as Savage Game Studios in 2022, with the team working on an unannounced mobile action game, aiming for Triple-A development.
See more: Concord: First Look at PlayStation's New Hero Shooter
“With this new strategy, Neon Koi will be closed and the mobile action game will not move forward,” Hulst said. “Both decisions were carefully considered and we believe they are the right ones for the betterment of the organization.”
Some of the developers affected by this change may find jobs at other Sony studios, while the rest will join the thousands of games industry workers who have been laid off in the past two years.
Source: theverge
