Sony is shutting down Firewalk Studios in the wake of its disastrous release of Concord, the PS5 shooter that lasted less than two weeks before shutting down. The news was first reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.
The closure of Firewalk Studios follows the departure of director Ryan Ellis, who resigned after Concorde was put out of commission. Sony Interactive Entertainment publicly posted the internal email from Studio Business Group CEO Hermen Hulst with a statement about the closure, which you can read below. Holst wrote that SIE “spent a significant amount of time over the past few months exploring all of our options,” but ultimately decided to close the studio, which it acquired in April 2023. The email also announces SIE’s decision to close Neon Koi, a German studio that operates In an action game on mobile.
Dear Team, Today, I want to share some important updates from Sony Interactive Entertainment studio portfolio. We continually evaluate our gaming portfolio and the status of our projects to ensure we are meeting near- and long-term business priorities. As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the SIE Studio business, we had to make a difficult decision regarding two of our studios – Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios. Expanding beyond PlayStation consoles and crafting engaging online experiences alongside single-player games are key areas of focus for us as we grow our revenue streams. However, we must be strategic in bringing our games to new platforms and recognize when our games fall short of meeting players’ expectations. Although mobile continues to be a priority growth area for Studio Business, we are still at a very early stage in our mobile efforts. To succeed in this space, we need to focus on titles that are consistent with PlayStation Studios’ history and have the potential to reach more players globally. With this refocused approach, Neon Koi would shut down, and its mobile action game would not advance. I want to express my gratitude to everyone at Neon Koi for their hard work and endless passion for innovation. Regarding Firewalk, as announced in early September (an important update on Concord), some aspects of Concord were exceptional, but others didn’t reach enough players, and as a result we took the game offline. We’ve spent a lot of time over the past few months exploring all of our options. After much consideration, we have determined that the best path forward is to permanently shut down the game and close the studio. I would like to thank all Firewalk members for their skill, creative spirit and dedication. The PvP first-person shooter genre is an ever-evolving competitive space, and unfortunately, we didn’t achieve our goals with this title. We will take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to develop our live service capabilities for future growth in this area. I know none of this is easy to hear, especially with colleagues and friends who are leaving SIE. Both decisions have been given serious thought and, ultimately, we feel they are the right decision to strengthen the organization. Neon Koi and Firewalk have been home to many talented individuals, and we will work to find a place for some of those impacted within our global studio community wherever possible. I am a strong believer in the benefits of embracing creative experimentation and developing new intellectual property. However, growth through sustainable financial resources, especially in a challenging economic environment, is crucial. Although today is a difficult day, there is a lot to look forward to in the coming months from Studio Business Group and our teams. I remain confident that we are building a resilient organization capable of creating memorable entertainment experiences for our players. Thank you for your continued support.
A LinkedIn post from Firewalk Studios said that the studio “started with the idea of bringing the fun of multiplayer to a larger audience.” It is noted that it started as a new startup in 2018, building a custom FPS engine and more. The post continues, “We took some risks along the way — combining aspects of card battlers and fighting games with first-person shooters — and while some of these and other aspects of the IP didn’t turn out as well as we had hoped, the post continues.” The Idea Bringing new things into the world is crucial to moving the medium forward.
“The talent at Firewalk and the level of individual craft is truly world-class, and the teams within Sony Interactive Entertainment and across the industry will be fortunate to work with them. Please contact Recruiting at PlayStation for inquiries, and thank you to all the many teams, partners and fans who have supported us along the way.”
The PvP first-person shooter genre is an ever-evolving competitive space, and unfortunately, we didn’t achieve our goals with this title
First released on August 23 for PS5 and PC, Concord initially struggled with low syncs before Sony suddenly announced it would pull the plug on September 3. “The cost of arriving late to ‘the party means you have to bring something new to the table,'” we wrote in our post-mortem on why Sony’s hero shooter failed, “Unfortunately, Concorde is neither particularly innovative nor packed with content.”
Meanwhile, analysts pointed out its weak marketing, high price, and lack of distinctive features, with an estimated 25,000 units being transferred.
“The PvP first-person shooter genre is a constantly evolving competitive space, and unfortunately, we did not achieve our goals with this title,” Holst wrote in his email announcing the closure. “We will take the lessons learned from Concorde and continue to develop our live service capabilities for future growth in this area.”
It’s been a difficult year overall for the gaming industry, which has been rocked by mass layoffs and studio closures as it continues to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Xbox, EA, Riot and other publishers have all seen layoffs in the past year, and Playstation-owned Bungie announced cuts in August that affected about 17 percent of the studio.
Elsewhere, there are signs of trouble with other PlayStation live service games. Bungie recently posted a lengthy development update video for Marathon which however noted that it’s still too early to roll out, and that Fairgame$ has been mostly MIA since it was first revealed in 2023. Sony president Hiroki Totoki has previously said that about six One of the PlayStation Live Service games is expected to be released by March 2026. As for Concord, there has been speculation that it might become free-to-play at some point, but with Firewalk shutting down, it seems like it’s gone for good.
“See you in the storm,” reads Firewalker’s farewell post before logging off for the last time.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s news director and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Do you have any advice? Send her a direct message at @the_katbot.
