LEAKED: Concord Cost $400 Million!?

Firewalk Studios is Burning Down...

The collapse of Concord, PlayStation’s "would-be" next big sci-fi hero shooter, has left a crater in the world of game development... and it’s far worse than anyone initially thought.

According to a tweet from Colin Moriarty (@longislandviper), who claims to have spoken with someone who worked on the game, Concord was internally referred to as “The Future of PlayStation” with Star Wars-like potential... However, the game was ultimately undone by a culture of "toxic positivity" that stifled any negative feedback and the staggering price tag of $400 million.

This BEYOND-catastrophic development happened under Firewalk Studios, the studio Sony quietly acquired in 2023 to develop the project. I spoke about this in great detail prior to release as the writing was on the wall well in advance. I'm not shocked at the destruction, but the rumored loss on the cost is... WILD, to say the least.

While the official acquisition details still remain undisclosed and secret, rumors of the buyout have only fueled more speculation about how such a monumental failure could happen within a first-party PlayStation studio. To make matters even worse, Firewalk’s leadership team is beginning to crumble in the aftermath of Concord’s failure, with game director Ryan Ellis stepping down from his position, leaving many questioning the studio's future.

A Dream That Never Took Off

The grand ambitions for Concord couldn’t have been more clear. It was promoted at PlayStation’s showcases in both 2023 and 2024, with the hope that it would redefine hero shooters and bring Sony into competition with the likes of Overwatch and Destiny.

Internally, the game was positioned as a potential flagship for the PlayStation brand, aiming to bring in legions of players and establish itself as a pillar of Sony’s future game lineup.

Unfortunately, reality didn’t match the ambition. Despite praise for its shooter mechanics, Concord failed to attract any audience whatsoever.

By some estimates, only 25,000 copies of the game were sold, an abysmally low figure given its budget and the weight of the PlayStation brand behind it... and I have my doubts that it was anywhere close to even that many. Reports of “toxic positivity” within Firewalk Studios paint a picture of a development culture where any criticism or negative feedback was stifled, leading to a product that was disconnected from what players actually wanted. Remember, "the professor"? Rather than facing the game’s flaws, developers were pressured to stay positive, leading to obvious issues being ignored until it was far too late.

Ryan Ellis Steps Down and Firewalk Studio's Fate in Limbo

Ryan Ellis, who had poured years of his life into Concord, recently announced that he would be stepping down from his role as game director, leaving Firewalk Studios as the studio grapples with the fallout from the game's failure. According to Kotaku (yes, I know - but they WERE the OG source for this), Ellis was too emotional to speak at certain points during the post-launch meeting after it became clear that the game was bombing. Despite the game’s disastrous performance, Ellis expressed that he still believed in Concord’s vision and its potential to bring players together. However, that belief was not enough to salvage the project... and at what point do you cut your losses?

With Concord unreleased and pulled from digital shelves just two weeks after launch, Firewalk’s future is now in Sony’s hands. Rumors within the studio suggest that employees are uncertain about what comes next, with some developers pessimistic that Concord will ever return in any form. The studio is reportedly exploring other projects, but given its status as one of Sony’s more expensive studios on a per-head basis, mass layoffs or even a complete shutdown could be in the cards as I stipulated previously. As developers start updating their resumes and portfolios, Firewalk’s uncertain future looms large over the gaming landscape... and I'm sure plenty are curious where these folks end up next.

The Aftermath: What’s Next for PlayStation and Firewalk?

The failure of Concord is a significant blow to Sony’s ongoing efforts to diversify its portfolio and establish itself as a leader in live-service games. With the rumored $400 million sunk into the game and the acquisition of Firewalk Studios now under scrutiny, Sony has a difficult decision to make about the studio’s future. Concord could be relaunched as a free-to-play or PS Plus exclusive in an attempt to salvage something from the project... But given the studio’s internal struggles and the game’s poor reception, that move seems unlikely to turn the tide at all.

As Firewalk Studios burns out, it leaves behind a trail of disappointment, failed potential, and a studio in crisis. The future of Firewalk Studios—and whether it will have one at all—remains to be seen... But I'm not holding my breath.

~Smash