PlayStation closes Concord developer Firewalk Studios and mobile studio Neon Koi
Sony has shut down Firewalk Studios, the developer of the ill-fated hero shooter Concord, with the game permanently shutting down. Neon Koi, a mobile-focused studio it acquired in 2022, has also closed.
The details:
PlayStation co-CEO Hermen Hulst announced the closures in an internal email published on Tuesday, citing the company's "ongoing efforts to strengthen [Sony Interactive Entertainment's] Studio Business." "We consistently evaluate our games portfolio and status of our projects to ensure we are meeting near and long-term business priorities," Hulst wrote. "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."
Hulst also confirmed that Sony has decided to permanently sunset Concord, which was pulled from sale only two weeks after its August release. Although the game received mostly positive reviews, its player count dropped below a thousand shortly after launch, prompting Sony to pull the plug and refund players. “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,” Hulst said. “We will take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to advance our live service capabilities to deliver future growth in this area.”
Firewalk has since responded to news of the closure on X by sharing a farewell message thanking its staff and fans, as well as outlining its accomplishments since its founding in 2018.
As for Neon Koi (formerly Savage Game Studios), Hulst explained that while mobile remains a “priority growth area” for SIE, it needs to “concentrate on titles that are in line with PlayStation Studios’ pedigree and have the potential to reach more players globally.“ The studio's unannounced action game has also been canceled.
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