Sony has decided to shut down Firewalk Studios, the developer behind the multiplayer game Concord, which has gained a notorious reputation. This was announced by Herman Hulst, the CEO of the PlayStation studio business group, in a letter to employees. Alongside Firewalk, the mobile game studio Neon Koi will also be closed.
Analysts estimate that Concord sold fewer than 25,000 copies. The game was released on August 23 for PS5 and PC, but Sony shut down its servers just a couple of weeks later on September 6. On the Steam platform, the peak concurrent players never exceeded 697, which is less than the failed game The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
“We spent a lot of time seeking alternative solutions. After thorough analysis, the best option turned out to be the complete closure of the game and the studio,” Hulst noted. According to him, Sony will take the lessons from Concord into account for the development of future projects with persistent online services.
In addition to Firewalk Studios, the mobile division Neon Koi, which Sony acquired under the name Savage Game Studios in 2022, will cease operations as well. The studio was working on an unannounced AAA mobile action game. Despite the closure, Hulst emphasized that mobile gaming remains a priority area for Sony's development.
Source: The Verge
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