Pixel Herald

Two months after the disastrous launch of Concord, Sony Interactive Entertainment has officially announced the closure of Firewalk Studios. This comes just a year and a half after Sony acquired the studio as part of its ambitious push into live-service gaming. Firewalk Studios, which had around 150 to 170 employees, now leaves all of its staff out of work.

According to Kotaku, the initial development deal for Concord cost over $200 million. Additional expenses were later incurred for further development and the acquisition of the Concord IP. As a result, the game’s failure marks one of the most costly missteps in video game history.

The news doesn’t come as a shock, considering Concord’s massive underperformance. The game reportedly sold fewer than 25,000 copies, leading Sony to take it offline and pull it from sale just two weeks after release. Rumors have since circulated about a potential comeback in a different format, possibly as a free-to-play game.

Despite the game’s failure, Concord is not fading into complete obscurity. An upcoming episode of the gaming anthology series Secret Level will feature the game and is set to premiere December 10 on Amazon Prime Video.