PlayStation's Post-Concord Reality Check: Did They Finally Find the 'Oops' Button?

AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·

PlayStation's Post-Concord Reality Check: Did They Finally Find the 'Oops' Button?

After the spectacular flop of *Concord*, PlayStation's CEO Hermen Hulst admits their live-service strategy hit a snag and is now demanding 'rigorous testing' and a renewed focus on building huge, iconic franchises rather than just throwing live-service games at the wall. It seems even gaming titans learn from their quarter-billion-dollar mistakes, bless 'em.

Right, so apparently, even mega-corporations with all the magic money in the world can still biff it spectacularly. And honestly, bless 'em, because PlayStation is now openly admitting their live-service strategy has been, shall we say, 'not entirely going smoothly.' Mate, that's like saying my last attempt at a teleportation spell 'didn't entirely go smoothly' after I accidentally turned my cat into a toaster. A bit of an understatement, wouldn't you say?

We're talking, of course, about *Concord*. Remember *Concord*? Don't worry if you don't; most people didn't, which is precisely the problem. It launched, it flopped harder than a wizard attempting to fly without a broom, and then it was gone quicker than my weekend plans after an unexpected goblin invasion. Two weeks, folks. Two. Weeks. And Firewalk Studios? Shuttered not long after. Bloody hell.

PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst has been chatting with the *Financial Times*, and he's not exactly sugar-coating it. The takeaway from *Concord*'s quarter-billion-dollar vanishing act (yes, you read that right, a cool $250 million) is pretty clear: they need to fail 'early and cheaply.' Which, honestly, is a pretty sensible mantra. You want to blow up the experimental potion in the lab, not the whole darn castle, right?

Compare that spectacular crater to the shining, award-winning success of *Astro Bot* – a game that sold 2.3 million copies and generally brought joy to the gaming world. The contrast couldn't be starker. One was a well-loved, established IP delivering pure, unadulterated fun, the other… well, the other was *Concord*.

Hulst reckons the answer lies in 'much more rigorous and more frequent testing' and, crucially, a tighter leash on their owned studios. Now, on the one hand, a bit more oversight sounds fair enough when you're sinking hundreds of millions into projects that go sideways. You don't want a rogue wizard accidentally summoning an elder god just because no one checked their spellbook. On the other hand, 'rigorous testing' can also sound a bit like corporate speak for 'we're going to micromanage the fun out of everything.' I'm cautiously optimistic here – the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, or in this case, the gameplay.

Apparently, this new era of oversight means more group testing, better communication between the various PlayStation studios, and closer relationships between the top brass. Jason Connell, the art director at Sucker Punch (the legends behind *Ghost of Tsushima* and, rumour has it, *Ghost of Yōtei*), put it rather eloquently: 'If we’re heading towards a giant landmine, like there’s another studio making exactly the same game, that’s good information.' Fair dinkum, especially given analysts reckon *Concord* suffered from an oversaturation of multiplayer live-service shooters. You don't want two groups of adventurers setting off on the exact same quest to slay the same dragon, only to realise it's already been slain... by the other group. Awkward.

So, it sounds like PlayStation isn't quite as keen on churning out live-service games as they once were. Good, I say! The market feels a bit like a dragon's hoard overflowing with 'games as a service' these days, and frankly, most of them feel like they're just after my gold coins rather than my genuine enthusiasm. Still, they've got Bungie's *Marathon* coming before March 2026, which has some fans raising an eyebrow given the delays, layoffs, and general air of mystery around it. Let's hope they've learned their lessons there.

But here's the bit that really piques my curiosity: Hulst wants more *massive* Sony IP. He's looking at *Astro Bot*'s journey, and also the likes of *The Last of Us* and *Uncharted*, as blueprints. The idea is to foster IP that can become 'iconic franchises for PlayStation, that can then again become a franchise for people beyond gaming.' This is where it gets interesting, mate. Expanding gaming worlds into other media is a potent spell, if cast correctly. Imagine *Astro Bot* LEGO sets or a *Ghost of Yōtei* animated series down the line. That's the kind of magic I can get behind, provided the games themselves are still utterly brilliant.

Currently, we're looking at *Ghost of Yōtei* and *Lost Soul Aside* this year, with *Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls* and Housemarque's *Saros* on the horizon for 2026. Plus, there are whispers of *Fairgames*, *Marvel's Wolverine*, and Naughty Dog's *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet* still brewing in the digital cauldrons. So, while the immediate fallout from *Concord* is a bit of corporate navel-gazing, it feels like a necessary recalibration. Are they truly learning from their mishaps and focusing on what makes PlayStation great? Or is this just another corporate pivot disguised as wisdom? Only time, and a whole lot of 'rigorous testing,' will tell.

**Original Source:** IGN South Africa **Original URL:** **Author:** Unknown (as per original article content)

Tags: PlayStation, Live Service Games, Game Development, Industry Trends, Sony

Original article: IGN South Africa