Sony is officially shutting down two studios.
After the news of Sony's latest title, Concord, shutting down just weeks into its release surfaced, the company has now revealed that it will officially be shutting down the studio that developed Concord — Firewalk. In the company's statement, it was also revealed that Neon Koi, the mobile game studio owned by Sony, will also shut down. Here is the full scoop.
Sony to shut down Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios
Just the other day, an internal email was sent out to employees by Herman Hulst, the CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. That email came as devastating news to many employees and game developers, as they were discovering that their respective positions were being terminated.
"As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen SIE's Studio Business, we have had to make a difficult decision relating to two of our studios — Neon Koi and Firewalk Studios," stated Hulst in his email.
Hulst's first explanation revolved around Neon Koi and Sony's desire to still explore mobile gaming.
"While mobile remains a priority growth area for the Studio Business, we are in the very early stage of our mobile efforts," he stated. "To achieve success in this area we need to concentrate on titles that are in line with PlayStation Studios' pedigree and have the potential to reach more players globally."
Hulst then broke the news.
"With this re-focused approach, Neon Koi will close, and its mobile action game will not be moving forward."
This news came as devastating to many, but it was not the end of the email, as Hulst revealed the fate of Firewalk Studios.
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Firewalk Studios shuts down
After years of Concord being in development, only for it to be one of the biggest flops of all time, Sony has decided to officially shut down the studio behind the game: Firewalk Studios.
"After much thought, we have determined the best path forward is to permanently sunset the game and close the studio," said Hulst. "I want to thank all of Firewalk for their craftmanship, creative spirit and dedication."
It is absolutely heartbreaking to see a team that worked so hard on a game for years be disbanded in such a fashion. Hopefully, everyone who lost a job this week due to these studios being shut down will find a new home shortly.
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