In a devastating PS Studios update, bigwig Hermen Hulst has confirmed that following a period of consultation, PS5 and PC gigaflop Concord will never be returning and developer Firewalk Studios has been closed down. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, around 172 people will lose their jobs, although Sony does say it’s trying to “find placement for some of those impacted within our global community of studios where possible”.
In a statement, Hulst said: “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.”
Disasterclass
Swimming with the fishes
Concord officially released on 23rd August for $39.99/£34.99 for both PS5 and PC. In our short-lived review, where we awarded the game a 7/10, we described it as a “clean and well-meaning first-person shooter”. However, sales were estimated to total just 25k units, and by 6th September the game had been taken offline.
This was a big project for Sony, with high expectations placed upon it. Internally, it was allegedly described as the “future of PlayStation”. The platform holder bought developer Firewalk Studios in 2023, and said the team would “help grow” its live service operations. It no longer exists.
Hulst signed off with the following statement: “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.”
As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and
Read more on pushsquare.com