It’s been two weeks since Sony introduced it was taking the unprecedented step of unreleasing Harmony and nearly as lengthy because the ill-fated, sci-fi hero shooter was formally taken offline. Within the time since, Kotaku understands that builders at Firewalk Studios have been in limbo about their future as they await Sony’s resolution about what comes subsequent for Harmony and the workforce.
No matter finally ends up taking place, recreation director Ryan Ellis is not going to be on the helm. Previously at Bungie the place he served as artistic director on Future 2, Ellis left in 2017 to steer improvement on what would finally grow to be Harmony. He informed workers at Firewalk final week that he can be stepping down from his recreation director position and transfer right into a assist position as a substitute, in response to three sources aware of the change.
Sony didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Ellis was the primary shot caller on Harmony, which regardless of reward for its underlying shooter gameplay really feel, failed to draw an viewers, with analyst Simon Carless estimating to IGN that the $40 PVP-only recreation had bought solely round 25,000 copies, abysmal numbers given not simply its finances however the PlayStation first-party model it represented. Sony acquired Firewalk in 2023 for an undisclosed sum after the sport had spent years in manufacturing and promoted Harmony at each that 12 months’s Might PlayStation showcase and its 2024 one.
“Ryan deeply believed in that challenge and bringing gamers collectively by means of the enjoyment in it,” mentioned one former developer, who mentioned he felt Ellis had poured an excessive amount of himself into the sport, resulting in a ton of stress. “No matter there being issues that might have been performed in another way all through improvement…he’s human, and filled with coronary heart.”
Sources informed Kotaku that Ellis was too emotional to communicate at factors throughout a post-launch studio-wide assembly after it had grow to be clear that the sport was bombing. In a September 3 PlayStation Weblog submit asserting Harmony’s removing from retailer cabinets, Ellis wrote, “points of the sport and our preliminary launch didn’t land the best way we’d supposed.” He added that the workforce would “discover choices, together with these that can higher attain our gamers” and work to “decide the very best path forward.”
Some outsiders speculated that Harmony would possibly relaunch close to the tip of this 12 months or early in 2025 as a PS Plus unique or free-to-play recreation so as to get extra gamers to attempt it. The sport’s present content material roadmap prolonged by means of three seasons, full with the promise of costly weekly cutscenes telling the story of Harmony’s world and characters.
However for a lot of throughout the studio, it’s nonetheless not clear what’s going to come subsequent, three sources informed Kotaku. They’re pessimistic Harmony will return, and a few have been requested to discover pitches for one thing utterly completely different that Firewalk, which is at present round 150-170 workers, would possibly work on subsequent. Hypothesis amongst some workers has additionally included whether or not the studio may very well be used as co-development on considered one of Sony’s myriad different first-party initiatives at present in manufacturing.
Others, nonetheless, really feel like mass layoffs would be the probably results of Harmony’s failure, together with the doable shutdown of the whole studio, which sources inform Kotaku is among the dearer studios within the PlayStation portfolio on a per-head foundation. Some builders are updating their resumes and portfolios, a couple of have already preemptively exited the studio, and others are ready to see what a possible severance package deal will appear to be earlier than deciding what to do subsequent.
Sony instituted deep cuts earlier this 12 months, which included the cancellation of a number of video games and the closure of its PlayStation London Studio. However with its competitor Microsoft just lately shedding one other 650 folks from its Xbox gaming division, and the tip of one other fiscal quarter looming, extra cuts might nonetheless be coming.