Sony shuts down Concord developer Firewalk Studios

Sony Interactive Entertainment has shut down Concord developer Firewalk Studios, according to an internal email from CEO Hermen Hulst. The unsuccessful shooter has been permanently discontinued and will not be making a comeback, Hulst confirmed.

“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,” stated Hulst via the Sony Interactive website.

Along with Firewalk Studios, Sony is also shutting down developer Neon Koi and its unannounced mobile action game.

The email, shared via SonyInteractive.com, says the company explored various options in recent months and recognized the challenges of creating a successful title à la Fortnite.

“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,” he said. “We will take the lessons learned from Concord and continue to advance our live-service capabilities to deliver future growth in this area.”

The email wasn’t the only message seen online. Via X/Twitter, the developer posted one last tweet. The message mentions that despite their efforts and risks taken to push the medium forward, the game did not achieve the level of success they were hoping for.

This follows Sony’s decision to take Concord offline due to gamers’ lack of interest. The game’s long development period, high costs, $40 price tag, and design complaints all played a role in its failure.

[Sources]: Sony Interactive: An Update from PlayStation Studios – [Archives: 1; 2] – [Screenshots: 1; 2]. @FirewalkStudios (X/Twitter): Firewalk is signing off one last time – [Archives: 1; 2] – [Screenshots: 1; 2].