Concord game director Ryan Ellis has reportedly stepped down after the troubled 5v5 shooter was pulled due to seemingly disastrous sales, with staff at developer Firewalk Studios reportedly in limbo as they await Sony’s decision on the game’s future.

Concord was pulled from sale earlier this month, just two weeks after its launch on PS5 and PC, with Sony offering players full refunds. 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 “explore options” and “determine the best path forward” once the game was offline, but no further statements have been made since then. However, according to Kotaku, Firewalk staff has remained “in limbo” in the two weeks following Concord’s closure as they await a decision on both the game and the studio’s future.

Three sources told Kotaku employees that they are “pessimistic” that Concord will return, with some already being asked to scout pitches for what the studio might work on next. Some believe that mass layoffs are on the cards for the Sony-owned Firewalk – which employs around 150-170 people – as the studio is reportedly one of the most expensive under PlayStation’s watch based on headcount.

According to Kotaku, there is also speculation among staff that Sony will tap Firewalk to co-develop one of its many other in-house projects. However, reports suggest that “some” employees have already left the studio as a precaution, while others are still waiting to see what a potential severance package looks 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 supporting role. “Ryan was a huge believer in that project and bringing players together through the joy that came with it,” one former developer told Kotaku. “Regardless of whether there were things that could have been done differently during development… he’s a good person and a big heart.”

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