News reports that Firewalk's Ryan Ellis has stepped down from his role as game director at the studio.
After the closure of his debut project Concord, Ellis has reportedly taken on a “support role” at the PlayStation studio. No interim or replacement director has been named, and the outlet says Firewalk staff are unclear about next steps.
PlayStation has pulled the plug Concord just two weeks after launch, with Ellis stating at the time that it “didn't go as well as we planned.” He also said that the developer and publisher would be “exploring options” to improve and potentially relaunch the game.
However, sources speaking to Kotaku say that Sony has yet to make a decision and thinks the sci-fi shooter is completely dead. In the meantime, the Firewalk staff has reportedly been asked to explore proposals for something “completely different” to work on.
There is also speculation that the studio could be shifted into a support role for other first-party PlayStation teams, or that mass layoffs are on the horizon. There are said to be around 150-170 workers at the studio, and some have already started updating their portfolios, or left Firewalk early.
The History of Firewalk and PlayStation So Far
Sony Acquired Firewalk in 2023 following a publishing agreement the two companies went on strike in 2021. At the time, Sony was looking to make a big move into the live services market, which also fueled its acquisition of Bungie in 2022 and several multiplayer projects.
Since then, many of those live service games have been set aside OR scrappedThe future of Bungie is constantly changing and depends on its impending extraction shooter revival Marathon.
As for Firewalk, sources told Kotaku that the acquisition would result in one of the most expensive PlayStation studios in terms of cost per capita, further fueling speculation that it might close.
Amid all this, the same sources expressed their condolences to Ellis, who they said became “too emotional” to speak during the team's all-hands meeting earlier Concorde END.
“Ryan believed in that project deeply,” said one former developer. “Regardless of the fact that there were things that could have been done differently during development… he's a good guy, and he's full of heart.”
Kotaku's full report on Firewalk and Concord can be read Here.