Ryan Ellis, the former game director of Concord, recently announced his decision to step down from his role at Firewalk Studios, transitioning into a support position. The decision comes in the wake of the game’s unfortunate launch, which saw disappointing sales numbers and significant backlash.

A Kotaku report suggests that Ellis was visibly emotional when addressing the team post-launch, acknowledging the challenges and emotional toll he faced during the development process. One former developer noted:

“Ryan deeply believed in the project and bringing players together through it. Regardless of the challenges, he’s a good human, full of heart.”

Concord, which launched on 23 August for both PlayStation 5 and PC, struggled to find an audience, with estimates suggesting sales were as low as 25,000 copies across both platforms. Despite praise for its shooter mechanics, the game failed to resonate with players. In response, Sony announced its decision to take the game offline on 6 September, offer refunds to players, and halt further sales. In a statement shared via PlayStation Blog, Ellis expressed gratitude to the game’s community but acknowledged that the game’s launch “didn’t land the way we’d intended.” He also hinted at exploring options to better reach players in the future, but the game’s future remains uncertain.

While Firewalk Studios is still awaiting Sony’s decision on Concord, there’s increasing pessimism about its return. Some insiders speculate that the game could relaunch as a PS Plus exclusive or a free-to-play title to attract a larger audience. However, others fear more drastic outcomes, including potential layoffs or the shutdown of the entire studio. Sources within the studio mentioned that some staff members are already preparing for the worst, updating their portfolios and seeking new opportunities.

Sony’s acquisition of Firewalk in 2023 and the promotion of Concord during the 2023 and 2024 PlayStation showcases initially generated excitement. However, despite years of production, the game didn’t meet commercial expectations, raising questions about the studio’s future projects. There are rumours that some developers may begin working on new projects for Sony, while others speculate the studio could pivot to support roles for other first-party titles.

In a surprising twist, Concord will still feature in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming animated anthology Secret Level, with no plans to remove the episode inspired by the game, despite its commercial struggles.

With Firewalk’s fate hanging in the balance, developers are left in limbo, uncertain about the studio’s future and the potential impact of Concord’s failure on the broader PlayStation ecosystem.