Concord will not return – Sony shuts down Firewalk Studios

Sony shuts down Concord developer Firewalk Studios – Neon Koi to also close

Today, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has confirmed that Firewalk Studios and Neon Koi will be closed down. Firewalk Studios is the developer behind Concord, Sony’s ill-fated Hero shooter. Concord was taken offline weeks after launch after failing to generate a large enough playerbase. All owners of the game were refunded, and since then, Sony has considered what to do with the game and the studio behind it.

Neon Koi is a founding member of PlayStation’s mobile division. While Sony considers mobile a “priority growth area”, they have decided to focus on “titles that are in line with PlayStation Studios’ pedigree,”  as such Neon Koi has been axed alongside its planned mobile action game.

Below is the message that Sony’s Herman Hulst, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, had to say regarding the closure of Firewalk Studios and Neon Koi.

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.

Concord was a solid effort from Sony, but the game entered a saturated market with popular free-to-play offerings. Concord, as a paid product, had little chance to gain a playerbase. This was due to the game’s bland characters, paid-for nature, and inability to differentiate itself from its peers. Simply put, there was little reason to play Concord over Overwatch or its contemporaries. The game was well-made and well-executed, but there was no reason to play it over its competitors.

You can join the discussion on Sony shutting down Firewalk Studios on the OC3D Forums.