After a failed launch and one of the quickest closures of an online game in history, Sony has decided to pull the plug on Firewalk Studio, the development studio behind Concord. Also as part of the closures is mobile studio Neon Koi.
In a message sent out to PlayStation staff by CEO Hermen Hulst the decision has been made.
"We have spent considerable time these past few months exploring all our options," says Hulst. "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."
Also cited in the e-mail is that Concord didn't live up to Sony's expectations and that the company will "take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to advance our live service capabilities to deliver future growth in this area."
Concord was hyped as one of PlayStation's big games as it pushed to make more live service games, however its release on August 23rd was quickly forgotten and by September 6th PlayStation made the decision to shut down the game. Critically the game didn't do well however our own review saw us give the game a 7 saying despite its obvious flaws "The gun play is on a level that matches the greats, such as Halo,Destiny 2, and Overwatch".
While it won't receive as much press, the closure of Neon Koi will sting as well. Not much info was known about what the studio was up to before it closed other than it was working on an unannounced AAA mobile game. As per the Hulst email he says "With this re-focused approach, Neon Koi will close, and its mobile action game will not be moving forward. Both decisions were given serious thought, and ultimately, we feel they are the right ones to strengthen the organization."
We at Gamer Social Club hope all those impacted land on their feet quickly, whether within PlayStation Studios or outside.
