Sony has vowed to continue its fight in the live service gaming market following the cancellation of its Concord project. The tech giant will re-evaluate its approach to developing and launching such games following this failed attempt.
Sony tested the live service market with Concord
Sony President, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki said the company had learned important lessons from the Concord experience. Totoki said that the success of new projects will not be known until they are tested, so more practices such as user testing and internal evaluations are needed. He also emphasized that it should be carried out at earlier stages.
Totoki acknowledged that the company’s organizational structure makes collaboration between different departments difficult and negatively affects the development process. He emphasized the need for better management of release dates for both first-party and third-party games, and the importance of finding the optimal timing to avoid potential internal competition for sales.
Sadahiko Hayakawa, Sony’s Vice President of Finance and Investor Relations, detailed the lessons learned from Concord. Hayakawa stated that Sony will continue to focus on single-player games, which have a better chance of success. But it will also continue to pursue live service experiences, despite the risks.
The closure of Concord and its developer studio Firewalk illustrates the challenges faced by even large companies in the gaming industry. The live service model requires a delicate balance between long-term player engagement and content updates.
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