Layoffs Loom Over Developers of Concord. Employees Express Pessimism About Game's Return
Concord's director moved to a lower, supportive position, and the Firewalk Studio team has concerns about the future of both the project and the team.
After Concord's failure, the game director resigned. Reportedly, Ryan Ellis told his colleagues about it and took on a different, lower position - as a "support" role, as he described it (via Kotaku).
After the expected by many players, but surprisingly quick end of Concord, Firewalk Studios supposedly considered ideas to save the game. However, as reported by Kotaku, even within the company, faith in the return of this game is minimal.
Three sources obtained by the service spoke of "pessimistic" moods among employees regarding Concorde's rise from the ashes. Some of these people were already ordered to start looking for the next project.
Uncertain future
Needless to say, developers also have concerns about their future. For over a year, there have been major layoffs in the industry and Sony hasn't been spared either. Some of the Firewalk employees left early, while some are waiting for the publisher's move. This may involve engaging Firewalk Studios to assist with other teams' projects.
It would be reasonable to assume that Firewalk team members might hold the director of Concord responsible for the studio's current situation following such a spectacular defeat. However, it's clear that at least some developers are far from criticizing Ellis. One of the former employees, who was reached by Kotaku, said that the director was "sincerely believing" in the potential success of the game.
Ryan deeply believed in that project and bringing players together through the joy in it. Regardless of there being things that could have been done differently throughout development...he's a good human, and full of heart.
Failure and its causes
We can speculate for a long time about the reasons for Concord's failure. Gamers equally criticize the game for its overly standard and generic setting, the influence of contemporary trends, as well as Sony's surprisingly shallow marketing campaign, and the decision to release the title in the buy-to-play model.
As a result, according to internet users, the title didn't stand out from the crowd of many, and - importantly - free hero shooters, nor did it gain publicity before the premiere. This led to the sale of only 25,000 copies, with a peak of three-digit players on Steam according to analysts' estimates.
Will the story of Concord (and perhaps its developers) end in such a disastrous way? We can only wait for Sony's decision.
