Will PlayStation’s radical decision have consequences after one of the biggest failures in its history? CEO Hermen Hulst answers!
The failure of Concord unfortunately led to the closure of Firewalk Studios. After announcing that the game would be going offline and briefly hinting at a possible return, Sony Interactive Entertainment has permanently stopped working with this team. Whatever we think of the title, 172 employees will lose their jobs following this closure, although the company has stated that it is taking the necessary steps to relocate some of them to other PlayStation studios. Is it to be expected that the manufacturer will be much more cautious with its projects in the future and will therefore receive fewer new licenses after the historic failure of Concord?
Is PlayStation ready to take more risks?
With Concord, PlayStation wanted to capture its share of the pie in the world of multiplayer games and, above all, start to really develop a strategy around GaaS (Game a Service). A disastrous debut to say the least, as Concord was killed less than two weeks after its release. A premature end that reflects the visibly very low sales and lack of interest from players even before release. Still, the game itself wasn’t bad, but as PlayStation’s CEO said, not everything was up to standard.
“Some aspects of Concord were exceptional, but others were not supported by enough players and that is why we took the game offline.”. Now, we won’t go so far as to say that certain aspects were “exceptional,” but he’s not wrong when he says that not everything was a waste. After this closure of London Studio and Japan Studio, we can think about PlayStation’s short, medium and long-term strategy. Will the manufacturer continue to take risks and launch new licenses or would it rather continue with the AAA iterations that are already a hit, like the Horizon franchise or big names like Marvel’s Wolverine?
It will still be a mix of both if we are to believe the talk from PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst (ex-Guerrilla Games), who still insists on the importance of profitability. « I believe in the benefits of creative experimentation and developing new licenses. However, growth through sustainable financial results is crucial, especially in a difficult economic environment » said one of the PlayStation bosses in a press release. A reassuring statement after the bad news of Firewalk Studios’ closure, but we must judge based on the evidence.
Source: Sony Interactive Entertainment.
