Concord game director Ryan Ellis has reportedly resigned after the struggling 5v5 shooter was taken offline due to apparently disastrous sales, with staff at developer Firewalk Studios said to be in limbo as they await Sony’s decision on the game’s future.

Concord was removed from sale earlier this month, just two weeks after its release on PS5 and PC, with Sony refunding players the full purchase price. In a statement released at the time, Ellis wrote: “While many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch did not resonate as we intended.”

Ellis added that Firewalk would “evaluate options” and “determine the best path forward” once the game is offline, but no further statements have been made since then. However, according to Kotaku, Firewalk staff were “in limbo” in the two weeks following Concord’s shutdown while they waited for a decision on the game and the studio’s future.

Three sources told Kotaku staffers are “pessimistic” about Concord returning, with some already asked to consider suggestions for what the studio could work on next. Some reportedly believe mass layoffs are in store at Sony-owned Firewalk – which employs around 150 to 170 people – as the studio is reportedly one of PlayStation’s most expensive per capita.

According to Kotaku, there is also speculation among staff that Sony might hire Firewalk to develop one of its many other first-party projects. However, “some” employees have reportedly already left the studio preemptively, while others are waiting to see what a potential severance package might look like before making a decision.

As for Ellis – who previously served as creative director on Destiny 2 – he told staff last week that he would be stepping down from his current role as game director and taking on a support role. “Ryan believed deeply in this project and in bringing players together through the joy of it,” a former developer told Kotaku. “Regardless of the fact that there were things that could have been done differently during development… he’s a good person and full of heart.”

Firewalk was acquired by Sony last year as part of a massive live service push under former PlayStation boss Jim Ryan. The response to Concord, Firewalk’s debut game, was lukewarm at best, with industry analysts estimating that it sold fewer than 25,000 copies on PS5 and PC.