Sony on Concord’s failure: “With new IP, you don’t know the result until you actually try it”

Sony management has mentioned among the components behind the failure of reside service shooter Harmony.

VGC reported that buyers requested administration a number of questions concerning the sport’s collapse through the earnings name that adopted Sony’s most recent financials.

Sony president, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki stated, by way of an interpreter, that the platform holder is “nonetheless within the strategy of studying” with regards to reside service video games, however that a number of areas of enchancment of already been recognized for future titles.

“Almost about new IP, in fact, you don’t know the end result till you truly strive it,” he stated.

“We in all probability have to have a whole lot of gates, together with person testing or inside analysis, and the timing of such gates. After which we have to carry them ahead, and we must always have completed these gates a lot sooner than we did.

“Additionally, we’ve a siloed organisation, so going past the boundaries of these organisations when it comes to growth, and in addition gross sales, I believe that would have been a lot smoother.

“After which going ahead, in our personal titles and in third-party titles, we do have many various home windows. And we would like to have the ability to choose the best and optimum window in order that we will deploy them on our personal platform with out cannibalisation, in order that we will maximise our efficiency when it comes to title launches.”

Harmony launched on August 23, and was taken offline 11 days later as a result of low gross sales. Gamers had been provided a full refund, whereas Sony stated it will work with developer Firewalk Studios “decide the very best path ahead.”

Final week, Sony revealed that path forward meant closure for Firewalk Studios and a everlasting shutdown for Harmony.

Elsewhere within the earnings name, VGC reported that Sadahiko Hayakawa – Sony’s senior vice chairman for finance and investor relations – emphasised that whereas Harmony failed, the corporate has seen success with reside service launches in 2024.

“We launched two live-service video games this yr,” he stated. “Helldivers 2 was an enormous hit, whereas Harmony ended up being shut down. We gained a whole lot of expertise and realized so much from each.

“We intend to share the teachings realized from our successes and failures throughout our studios, together with within the areas of title growth administration in addition to the method of frequently including expanded content material and scaling the service after its launch in order to strengthen our growth administration system.

“We intend to construct on an optimum title portfolio through the present mid-range plan interval that mixes single-player video games – that are our strengths and which have the next predictability of changing into hits as a result of our confirmed IP – with live-service video games that pursue upside whereas taking over a certain quantity of danger upon launch.”

Hayakawa’s feedback affirm that Sony will proceed to push into the reside service area, with the corporate asserting this time final yr that it will launch six such titles by the end of March 2026.