PlayStation co-CEO Hermen Hulst announced in a press release on Tuesday that Firewalk Studios will be closing. This team is responsible for harmonythe company’s sci-fi hero shooter It was badly bombed and has been offline. It’s just weeks away from its launch earlier this year. The news comes less than two years after the PlayStation 5 maker first acquired Firewalk Studios as part of its ambitious plans for live-service games.
“Some aspects harmony was the exception, but the others didn’t attract enough players, so we took the game offline,” Hulst said in press release. “We have spent considerable time over the past few months exploring all options. After careful consideration, we have determined that the best solution is to permanently terminate the game and close the studio. I would like to thank the entire Firewalk staff for their craftsmanship, innovation and dedication Spirit.
Firewalk Studios was founded in 2018 when several former Bungie developers worked on a new multiplayer shooter under the leadership of game studio startup Maybe Monsters (founded by former Bungie executive Harold Ryan). harmony The game has been in development for several years and has long been viewed by Sony as a promising prospect for its planned portfolio of on-the-go games.
The initial development deal for the game is just over $200 million, according to two sources familiar with the deal but not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. but my city Understand that this amount is not enough to cover the entire development of the game, nor does it include purchases harmony The intellectual property rights, or Firewalk Studios itself, were acquired by Sony just last year.
harmonymixture of Destiny 2-style PvP shooting and Battlefield Special Attack 2After being fully revealed at the PlayStation Showcase this May, the hero roster trudged out of the gate. The initial trailer received an overwhelmingly negative reaction from potential players, and a public beta over the summer didn’t do much to change those opinions. The final game received decent reviews, but critics generally felt it wasn’t helpful enough harmony It stands out in an already crowded field of other multiplayer shooters, most of which are free.
Some analysts’ estimates for the game Only about 25,000 copies sold In the first week, harmony It went offline less than a month after launch. my city reported before Game director Ryan Ellis has resigned from the game’s management role internally, while the future of the game is evaluated by Sony leadership. Meanwhile, the rest of the team was left in limbo, wondering whether Firewalk could be used for Sony’s other projects, or shut down entirely.
Hulst also announced today that Neon Koi, which was also acquired by Sony in the past few years, will also be shutting down and the multiplayer action shooter it was developing will also be cancelled.
Here’s Sony’s full statement:
Dear team,
Today I want to share some important updates from Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studios business unit.
We continually evaluate our game portfolio and project status to ensure we meet both near-term and long-term business priorities. As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen SIE Studios, we have had to make a difficult decision regarding our two studios – Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios.
As we develop our revenue streams, expanding beyond PlayStation devices and creating engaging online experiences alongside single-player gaming are key areas of focus for us. However, we need to be strategic when bringing our games to new platforms and recognize when our games fail to meet player expectations.
While mobile remains a priority growth area for the studio business, we are still in the early stages of our mobile work. To succeed in this area, we need to focus on games that are true to the PlayStation Studios pedigree and have the potential to attract more players around the world.
With this refocused approach, Neon Koi will be shutting down and its mobile action games will not be moving forward. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone at Neon Koi for their hard work and endless passion for innovation.
Regarding Firewalk, as announced in early September (Important updates from Concord), some aspects of Concord were great, but other aspects didn’t attract enough players, so we took the game offline. We’ve spent quite a bit of time exploring all of our options over the past few months.
After careful consideration, we have determined that the best solution is to permanently terminate the game and close the studio. I would like to thank the entire Firewalk staff for their craftsmanship, innovation and dedication.
The PvP first-person shooter genre is an ever-evolving competitive space, and unfortunately, we didn’t achieve our goals with this game. We will learn from Concord’s experience and continue to improve our immediate service capabilities for future growth in this area.
I know this is not easy news to hear, especially for colleagues and friends who have left SIE. Both decisions were carefully considered and, ultimately, we believe they are the right decisions to strengthen the organization. Neon Koi and Firewalk are home to many talented people, and we will try to find placements for some of those affected within our global studio community wherever possible.
I’m a firm believer in the benefits of embracing creative experimentation and developing new intellectual property. However, achieving growth through sustainable finance is crucial, especially in a challenging economic environment.
While today is a difficult day, Studio Business Group and our team have a lot to look forward to in the coming months. I continue to believe that we are building a resilient, capable organization that creates unforgettable entertainment experiences for our players.
Thank you for your continued support.
