Concord director reportedly steps down as the future of the game remains undecided
Concord game director Ryan Ellis reportedly stepped down from his position after the team-based shooter was pulled from sale earlier this month, raising concerns about the game's future and its developer, Firewalk Studios.
The details:
As reported by Kotaku, Ellis is said to have informed Firewalk staff last week that he was stepping down as Concord's director to take on an unspecified support role. According to three sources familiar with the situation, Ellis was "too emotional to speak at points" during a post-launch company meeting after the studio became aware of a poor launch.
Concord was taken offline earlier this month, and all players were given full refunds just two weeks after its launch due to low sales. Following its closure, Firewalk stated that it would "explore options" and "determine the best path ahead" for the title, but no further details have been shared since. According to Kotaku, employees at the studio have been "in limbo" as they have not been informed of plans for Concord or the studio itself, with some "pessimistic" about its potential return and others working on new pitches.
Itβs believed that mass layoffs may hit the studio in the coming months, leading to "a few" employees leaving Firewalk already and more waiting to see what severance packages may include. It is also speculated that Sony may use Firewalk as a support studio for its other in-house projects, which is possible if the company does not want to take a risk with the developer again.
Sony acquired Firewalk last year, as then-CEO Jim Ryan continued to invest heavily in a live-service strategy for PlayStation's first-party titles. The game's reveal was immediately met with criticism, drawing comparisons to Blizzard's Overwatch. Despite receiving decent reviews, it is believed to have sold less than 25,000 units across PS5 and PC, with its $40 price tag being cited as a major factor.
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