After Concord’s miserable ending, Firewalk Studios is also closing down but no one seemed to be having tears in their eyes.
There are some huge games in the market that blew the publisher’s pocket when they were released but never made the payback. Concord from Firewalk Studios is a recent example of that. This retro-futuristic sci-fi shooter was released on August 23, 2024, but never burst into the scene.
Concord failed miserably. | Credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment.
With a whopping $400 million budget and over eight years of development period, the game never did justice to the efforts of the developers, as it sold only 25,000 copies (as of August 2024). After this disaster, Sony finally decided to close both the game and the studio, but there were no tears in the fans’ eyes.
Sony Shuts Down Firewalk Studios
Sony is officially closing Firewalk Studios, the company that developed the Concord video game. The fact that this has occurred is not shocking, particularly considering that Concord did not enter the market in the manner that Sony had hoped.
From the beginning of the hero shooter’s official release, it appeared that Firewalk Studios would follow this course. Furthermore, the Director of Concord resigned as soon as the game was shut down and its customers were reimbursed.
Firewalk is signing off one last time.
Firewalk began with the idea of bringing the joy of multiplayer to a larger audience. Along the way we assembled an incredible team who were able to:
– Navigate growing a new startup into a team during a global pandemic: Firewalk was…— Firewalk (@FirewalkStudios) October 29, 2024
The studio itself has posted a long tweet, about its short tenure in the gaming industry. The main motive of this studio has always been to cater to the multiplayer arena, where it has failed miserably. However, people didn’t seem to be moved by the heartwarming story of the studio and its ambitions and efforts.
This fan straightaway blasted the company for making a “lame” game.
Good riddance. Thank God, you’re purged from the industry. You essentially stole money from your publishers due to how lame of a game it was.
— Mr. Smiles & Hugs because you’re insuffero (@FrutigerZero) October 29, 2024
This fan thinks Firewalk Studios has learned something from this huge mistake.
I hope something was learned from this.
— Sean Berry (@S_Berry_82) October 29, 2024
Fans are not stopping themselves from trolling the company, even when it’s closing.
I hope something was learned from this.
— Sean Berry (@S_Berry_82) October 29, 2024
According to this fan, another popular first-person shooter franchise should be reintroduced in the market.
Hopefully they put you into Guerilla Studios to make Killzone. The concept of Concord was odd, but you definitely can make a good FPS mechanics wise. Hopefully giving a shot at a Killzone game. Or even Resistance Fall Of Man would be awesome
— Joe Gaslighter (@Joeybatz35) October 29, 2024
However, we managed to find out some rare people as well.
Sorry to hear the news. Wishing the best for everyone at the studio.
Just know there were people that enjoyed your game. 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/0ZbQJMZf6Z
— Jay Bari Strife 🗣️💗 (@JayBari_) October 29, 2024
There is currently a great deal of uncertainty regarding the fate of the impacted staff. In an internal email from Herman Hulst, CEO of Sony, on the Sony Interactive Entertainment Blog, he stated: “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.”
It’s unclear how many employees they plan to move and hire internally, but as Firewalk Studio and Neon Koi staff deal with the devastating news of both studios closing, it’s possible that the numbers will be revealed in later updates.
Why Did Concord Fail?
Concord never appealed to its fans. | Credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Concord entered the crowded hero shooter genre, where many players already had favorite games (Apex Legends, Overwatch, and Valorant, to name three). Since hardly anyone was aware of Concord prior to its release, Sony’s marketing strategy for the game also appeared to be failing. Its characters and design were also criticized for being generic and lacking any particularly intriguing gameplay concepts.
Concord‘s failure also serves as a metaphor for existential issues in contemporary game development, which include the high cost and lengthy development process, which can cause a game to miss its mark years before it is released. Publishers are risk averse as a result of all of this, but if you’re just attempting to replicate what’s popular, it will be outdated by the time it’s done.
Concord is not the year’s first well-known multiplayer failure. In addition to disappointing its publisher with poor sales, Warner Bros.’ Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League also let down its players by forcing an otherwise intriguing game into a live-service multiplayer model. Sega’s Foamstars were entirely overlooked. Not to mention Sega’s live-service shooter, Hyenas, which was canceled just a few months before its scheduled release.
Did you like Concord? What’s your opinion on this game? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
