Sony's Insights on Concord's Failure

Sony has opened up about the reasons behind the unfortunate failure of its live service shooter, Concord. Recently, during a significant earnings call, Sony’s leadership fielded numerous inquiries from investors concerning the collapse of the game, which debuted on August 23 and was taken offline just 11 days later due to abysmal sales figures.

Leadership's Perspective

Hiroki Totoki, President, COO, and CFO of Sony, articulated that the company is still navigating the complexities of the live service game landscape. He stressed that the experience with Concord has highlighted areas that require critical improvement as they advance in this sector.

"With regards to new IP, of course, you don’t know the result until you actually try it," Totoki said. He acknowledged the need for more rigorous development protocols, mentioning that user testing and internal evaluations should have been implemented much earlier in the process. "We probably need to establish a lot of gates, including user feedback, to refine our ideas ahead of launch," he added.

Challenges in Organizational Structure

Totoki also noted that Sony’s organizational structure, which has functioned in silos, may have hindered collaboration across different development and sales teams. The company aims to streamline processes to ensure smoother development workflows in the future.

Optimism Through Setbacks

Despite the setback with Concord, Totoki remains optimistic about the potential of live-service games, particularly in light of Sony’s successes this year, including the much-lauded Helldivers 2. "While Concord failed, we gained considerable insight from both its failure and the success of Helldivers 2," he stated.

Future Strategy for Live-Service Games

The managing of titles post-launch and the strategy for expanding and maintaining content will be pivotal as Sony aims to refine its approach. Sadahiko Hayakawa, Sony's Senior Vice President for Finance and Investor Relations, highlighted that the company is looking to build a robust title catalog during this mid-range plan period.

This will include a balance of single-player games, which have historically been more predictable successes due to Sony’s established IP, alongside high-risk, potentially high-reward live service projects.

Concord's Closure and Lessons Learned

As for Concord, the game's closure not only signaled the end of its journey but also the shutdown of developer Firewalk Studios, a decision driven by the game's lackluster performance. Sony has committed to working closely with remaining teams to leverage the learnings from this experience to enhance future releases.

A Turning Point for Sony and the Industry

In a landscape characterized by fierce competition and rapidly changing consumer preferences, Sony’s strategic reassessment may pave the way toward a more sustainable model for live service games in the evolving gaming market. This reflection could be a turning point, offering invaluable lessons not just for Sony but for the industry at large, as game developers navigate the challenges of releasing new and innovative properties.