Concord, the new multiplayer shooter from PlayStation, had a rough start in late August.
Lead character designer Jon Weisnewski expressed gratitude to fans before the game went offline on September 6, acknowledging the uncertain future. Sharing on social media, Weisnewski described the Firewalk Studios team as
who faced numerous challenges, including company acquisitions and an engine upgrade from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5, all during the pandemic. He emphasized that “the fact we shipped at all is legendary.”
“To all the players who showed up for Concord: thank you. The positivity and constructive feedback in the face of overwhelming noise was huge for everyone at Firewalk. Building a positive community was why we did this. We saw you. Every stream, post, thread, emoji, we saw it all,” the developer
As for what’s next, Weisnewski admitted, “None of us know what’s next, but I do know this team is capable of wild energy when faced with a challenge.”
People are curious about what will happen to Concord.
Ryan Ellis, the game director, acknowledged that while some aspects of the game were well-received, others didn’t meet expectations. He mentioned they will “explore options” for better connecting with players, hinting at a possible return. For now, Sony is giving refunds. Some think
and might not succeed even with changes.
Concord was Firewalk’s first game, and the studio was founded by developers from Call of Duty, Destiny, Apex Legends, and Halo. When Sony bought the studio in 2023, it had about 150 employees and had been collaborating with Sony for years. In 2023, Sony said Firewalk would help “define a new generation of live-service experiences for PlayStation gamers.” Sony is also working with Jade Raymond’s team at Haven on a heist-themed multiplayer game called Fairgame$ (yes, really, that’s the name). However, Sony is scaling back its live-service efforts.
Initially, Sony planned to release 10 live-service games by 2026 but later decided to focus on quality over quantity, cutting the number in half. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Online, once described as the developer’s most ambitious game ever, was canceled.
A report revealed that one of the last major decisions by former PlayStation boss Jim Ryan was to push for more games-as-a-service titles. This upset many PlayStation developers, and the blame fell on Connie Booth, a 30-year veteran who left PlayStation in October 2023. Some believe she was fired. Booth is now an executive at Electronic Arts.
