For the past handful of weeks now, the direction of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s live-service business model has been put into questioning. For one, is Concord still eligible for a comeback? Although the game was properly shut off back in September, there was a window for a second coming in the future. Speculation pointed towards a free-to-play version planned. Even more, SteamDB did indicate that file updates could point towards that.
What worked against that is the chain of events that followed the game’s embrace to the public. Partly, the concept of the game costing PlayStation what could be $400 million would be astronomical for that title to perform so severely. Additionally, game director Ryan Ellis stepping down was also a red flag in it of itself too.
Well, it has officially happened – Sony Interactive Entertainment is now here to share that Firewalk Studios is closing its doors. As part of the new internal restructuring at PlayStation Studios, the firm also shared that mobile developer Neon Koi is also attached to the studio closure.
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.
Hermen Hulst, Sony Interactive Entertainment Co-CEO
“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,” Hulst said on the closure for Neon Koi.
“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.”
He added: “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.”
Are you surprised by this turn of events at PlayStation?
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment