Former Sony boss Hermen Hulst looks back at the now-defunct Firewalk studio’s big hero shooter flop Concord.

In a turbulent year for PlayStation, the closure of Firewalk Studios, the developer of Concord, marked one of the most disappointing chapters in the company’s history. The ambitious multiplayer shooter was shut down shortly after its release. At first, it seemed like it might make a comeback, but that’s now out of the question. As a result, Hermen Hulst, former PlayStation boss and current Sony’s second-in-command, laments the game’s failure to capture the attention of gamers.

Concord launched with high expectations, especially for the Japanese company, but it wasn’t meant to fill the void left by Overwatch, but rather to deliver a tangential and exclusive experience for PS5 and PC. However, the final execution left many players unsatisfied. While Hulst admits that the original idea wasn’t the most innovative in recent memory, he believes that aspects of the gameplay implemented in Firewalk’s first and last games were “exceptional.”

In an interview with the BBC to mark the 30th anniversary of the PlayStation, Hulst didn’t take full responsibility for the project, which fell short of expectations. But he did make it clear that the foundation of the hero shooter was solid. So where was the problem? According to Hulst, a significant portion of the gameplay and thematic aspects didn’t work: “Certain aspects of Concord were exceptional, but others did not land with enough players, and as a result we took the game offline,” he explained.

The closure of Firewalk Studios reflects the growing difficulties that multiplayer titles face in a saturated market.

Competing with established giants like Call of Duty and Fortnite has left Concord in a vulnerable position. Despite the technical merits cited by the Dutch manager, the game has failed to stand out in terms of content that would have kept players engaged in the long term.

If not Concord, Astro Bot has at least been a breakthrough success for Sony

In contrast to Concord’s failure, the head of Guerrilla Games, who has also overseen sagas like Killzone, highlighted the positive reception of Astro Bot. Astro Bot has become one of the most beloved fan experiences and is a reason to celebrate at Sony. Hulst stressed that the success of Astro Bot positions Team Asobi in a privileged position, and PlayStation is proud of the team.

Source: BBC