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Sony Interactive Entertainment announced on October 29, 2024, that it would permanently shut down Concord and close Firewalk Studios. The game had already been taken offline on September 6, and Sony had stopped sales and offered refunds to PlayStation 5 and PC buyers. Sony said the game failed to attract enough players and missed its targets in a competitive PvP shooter market.
What happened to Concord and Firewalk Studios?
The closure unfolded in two stages. On September 3, 2024, Firewalk Game Director Ryan Ellis announced that Concord would go offline beginning September 6 and that sales would stop immediately. On October 29, Sony announced that the game would be permanently sunset and Firewalk Studios would close.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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CONCORD™ | $129.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration - PS5 | $44.95 | Buy on Amazon |
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Maximum Entertainment 34 Sports Games - World Edition (PS5) | $26.70 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Perp The Persistence Enhanced Amélioré(e) Anglais PlayStation 5 | $18.18 | Buy on Amazon |
The September announcement initially described taking the game offline while exploring options, including ways to better reach players. Sony’s later announcement made the outcome final: Concord would not return, and Firewalk would shut down. Firewalk’s September 3 update and Sony’s October 29 announcement document those decisions.
Why did Sony close Firewalk Studios?
Sony’s stated explanation was that Concord did not reach enough players and failed to meet the company’s targets in the competitive, changing PvP first-person-shooter genre. Hermen Hulst, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studio Business Group, wrote: “The PvP first person shooter genre is a competitive space that’s continuously evolving, and unfortunately, we did not hit our targets with this title.”
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Hulst also said some aspects of the game were exceptional, while others did not land with enough players, and that Sony would apply lessons from the experience as it continued developing its live-service capabilities. Those comments explain Sony’s publicly stated rationale; they are not a detailed accounting of every factor behind the game’s performance.
Can players still play Concord or get a refund?
Concord is permanently sunset and is not playable online. In the September 3 update, Firewalk said refunds would be issued to PS5 and PC purchasers through the storefront or retailer where they bought the game:
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- PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct: refunds were to be processed to the original payment method where possible.
- Steam: refunds were handled through Steam.
- Epic Games Store: refunds were handled through Epic Games Store.
- Physical copies bought from another retailer: buyers were directed to that retailer’s refund process.
Firewalk’s notice said that once a refund was processed, the player would no longer have access to the game. The statement describes the refund arrangements announced at shutdown; it does not establish whether a particular buyer can still request a refund now. Physical copies existed, but Sony’s statements do not establish whether a disc can access the game after the permanent sunset.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is known about the financial impact?
Sony’s closure and shutdown announcements do not give an exact Concord sales total, player count, development budget, or number of Firewalk employees affected. Sony said it would seek opportunities for some affected colleagues in its global studios where possible, but did not say how many people would be placed.
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As a result, the official statements confirm the closure, shutdown, refund plan, and Sony’s explanation, but do not support precise claims about the game’s losses or the scale of its commercial failure. Estimates should not be presented as official Sony figures.
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