Key Takeaways
- Nearly two months after Concord‘s shutdown, Sony has shuttered developer Firewalk Studios.
- Concord will permanently remain offline, vanquishing any hopes for a potential comeback.
- Sony says that it will take the lessons learned from Concord’s failure and apply them to future live-service PlayStation games.
As a long-time PlayStation fan who has witnessed the rise and fall of many games, I can’t help but feel a pang of melancholy as I write about Concord and Firewalk Studios. The game, with its promise of a unique live-service multiplayer experience, was one that had me eagerly awaiting its release. Alas, it seems fate had other plans.
Sony has officially announced the shutdown of Firewalk Studios, the developer behind Concord. With Concord being deactivated around two months back, there was a lot of speculation about Firewalk Studios’ future, and regrettably, those concerns were validated.
In 2023, Firewalk Studios was bought by Sony, two years following their collaboration announcement for a top-tier live-service multiplayer game known as Concord. The acquisition of Firewalk hinted to fans that Sony had high confidence in Concord, given that the gaming titan seldomly acquires studios without a debut project under their belt. Unfortunately, when Concord launched in August 2024, it became one of PlayStation’s most unsuccessful releases over its 30-year history, reportedly selling fewer than 30,000 copies across PS5 and PC.
In an unprecedented move for PlayStation releases, “Concord” was taken offline and refunds were issued to all players only two weeks after its launch. At that time, Sony expressed a desire to “explore options” for “Concord.” However, in a recent internal email from Hermen Hulst, CEO of PlayStation’s Studio Business Group, it has been confirmed that Sony has made the decision to permanently close “Concord” and Firewalk Studios, effectively ending any prospects of a future revival.
Sony Permanently Closes the Book on Concord and Firewalk Studios
Although it’s deeply regrettable that Sony’s choice turns out to be less favorable for Concord and Firewalk Studios, numerous industry professionals had foreseen this outcome, particularly given the news that Concord allegedly spent a staggering $400 million over eight years in development. There were even whispers that within Sony, Concord was seen as the “future of PlayStation” with “Star Wars-like potential.” Given this context, it’s hard to overstate Sony’s surprise when the live-service shooter only managed 697 simultaneous players on Steam at its launch.
It’s truly disheartening news for the passionate few who play Concord. The latest changes to the game’s back-end on Steam had sparked optimism among fans about a possible return of Concord, possibly even as a free-to-play title. However, it seems that Concord is now considered lost media, as the multiplayer game will remain unavailable and unplayable for an extended period.
As a gamer, I can’t help but notice the upcoming episode of Concord in Secret Level, Amazon Prime’s gaming-centric anthology series. With the permanent closure of Concord and Firewalk, the integration of this episode might seem a bit odd or awkward. Yet, it seems like Firewalk’s live-service hero shooter isn’t meeting its end without teaching valuable lessons. In an internal email, Hulst hinted that Sony has taken notes from Concord’s experience, which they plan to apply to their other live-service games under development at PlayStation Studios. As we bid farewell to the era of Concord, let’s hope Sony’s future live-service titles find a more receptive audience among gamers like us.
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2024-10-29 22:44