Ryan Ellis has stepped down as director at Firewalk Studios following the release and closure of Concord. Ellis will now move into a support role within Firewalk, according to sources speaking with Kotaku.
Ellis formerly worked for Bungie where he was the creative director on Destiny 2. He left Bungie to lead development on Concord in 2017.
“Ryan deeply believed in that project and bringing players together through the joy in it,” said one former developer, who said he felt Ellis had poured a great deal of himself into the game, leading to a ton of stress. “Regardless of there being things that could have been done differently throughout development...he’s a good human, and full of heart.”
As for the team at Firewalk, it's unclear what their future holds. There is some speculation that Concord might get a free-to-play launch in the future, which would allow the studio to continue development. However, Kotaku's sources say that they are "pessimistic Concord will return." Other staff within Firewalk have speculated that they could be used as a partner studio for one of Sony's other development teams.
Still, the most common assumption from those at Firewalk is that they will go through mass layoffs and a possible studio closure. Firewalk is reportedly "one of the more expensive studios in the PlayStation portfolio on a per-head basis." Firewalk currently employs between 150 to 170 employees. Several staff have said they updated their resumes and portfolios in preparation for this outcome. Some have already left Firewalk. Still others are "waiting to see what a potential severance package will look like before deciding what to do next."
