Concord’s game director is reportedly stepping down from his position as the game’s future has not yet been decided.
According to Kotaku, Ryan Ellis told Firewalk Studios staff last week that he would no longer serve as game director for Concord and would instead return to a supporting role.
Citing three sources familiar with the move, the publication says Ellis was emotional when he first spoke to staff after the game’s release, when it was clear it was going to be a huge failure.
“Ryan believed deeply in this project and in bringing players together through the joy of it,” a former developer told Kotaku. “Even though there were things during development that could have been done differently, he is a good person and full of heart.”
Earlier this month, Sony announced that it would take Concord offline just two weeks after its release, removing the game from sale and refunding all players who purchased it.
The news followed reports that the PS5 and PC game may have sold just 25,000 copies on both platforms since its August 23 release.
“Concord fans, we’ve listened carefully to your feedback since Concord launched on PlayStation 5 and PC, and we want to thank everyone who joined us on our journey aboard Northstar,” Ellis said at the time.
“Their support and the passionate community that has formed around the game have meant a lot to us. While many aspects of the game have been well received by players, we also had to admit that other aspects of the game and our initial launch have not been received as we had imagined.
“For this reason, we have decided to take the game offline starting September 6, 2024 and explore options, including those that will better reach our players. While we determine the best path forward, sales of Concord will cease immediately and we will offer a full refund to all players who purchased the game on PS5 or PC.”
What the future of Concord will look like is still unclear. It is also not known whether Firewalk will continue to take the lead role in the development of the game.
Despite its failure, the episode based on “Concord” of Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming animated anthology “Secret Level” will reportedly remain in the air and not be taken off the air.
