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Sony pulls ‘Concord’ video game; subsidiary says launch ‘didn’t go as we intended’
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Sony pulls ‘Concord’ video game; subsidiary says launch ‘didn’t go as we intended’

Sony has decided to pull the video game release Treaty less than two weeks after release.

The multiplayer shooter failed to gain traction after debuting on PlayStation 5 and PC on August 23. Ryan Ellis, game director at Firewalk Studios, which was acquired by Sony Interactive in 2023, confirmed the decision in a blog post on Tuesday.

“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 wrote. “As a result, we have decided to take the game offline as of September 6, 2024, and explore options, including ones that will better reach our players.”

Anyone who purchased the game will receive a full refund, the message said.

Similar to popular games like Brave And Overwatch, Treaty was reportedly developed over eight years. It never really took off, according to several third-party trackers of online gameplay, peaking at around 660 concurrent users, a fraction of what the best multi-player games attract.

The financial investment in a major game title, which can easily run into the tens of millions, can take a toll on a company’s finances, given the additional marketing costs that come with its launch. In August, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav called the performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League “disappointing”, especially compared to the industry-leading results for Hogwarts Legacy in the same period of 2023. Given Sony Corp.’s unique and layered structure, with hardware and entertainment mixed with gaming, it’s difficult to gauge the impact of a misstep like this. Treatybut at the very least it seems like a missed opportunity.