PlayStation CEO Herman Hulst has spoken openly about the failure of Concord in a new interview with The Financial Times (via IGN), confirming this title has reshaped the company’s games strategy. Noting the significant financial investment into Concord, Hulst has confirmed that while PlayStation doesn’t want studios to play it entirely safe from now on, there is a new hope that any possible failures will be identified early, to mitigate risks.
‘I don’t want teams to always play it safe, but I would like for us, when we fail, to fail early and cheaply,’ Hulst said. Per analysts cited by IGN, Concord is believed to have cost around USD $250 million. It’s highly likely none of this was recouped, as the game sold very poorly on launch, and it was shut down just two weeks later. It was seemingly a painful lesson learned for PlayStation, with this inspiring a new management-led decision to increase oversight of studios under the PlayStation banner.
‘We have since put in place much more rigorous and more frequent testing in very many different ways,’ Hulst said. ‘The advantage of every failure . . . is that people now understand how necessary that [oversight] is.’
In addition to testing, there is now reportedly more communication between internal studios, and more involvement from executives. Per Jason Connell, art director at Sucker Punch, the reason is largely so that failures won’t be repeated across multiple studios, with each learning lessons from others.
The Financial Times also reported that Concord has served as a learning lesson for all, and that PlayStation has somewhat cooled on the idea of focussing on new live service games. While the success of Helldivers 2 highlights potential appeal, there is now a greater understanding of the challenges facing this type of game. (It’s worth nothing Bungie’s Marathon is still heading for release, although there appears to be much more caution about this game, in the wake of Concord‘s failure.)
Beyond Concord, another game that PlayStation is reportedly learning from is Astro Bot. This title became a multi-Game Of The Year award winner when it launched in 2024, and became a guiding light for what PlayStation success looks like. According to The Financial Times, Hulst and the PlayStation team are using Astro Bot as an example for developers, on how smaller IP can be turned into bigger properties with more success, over time.
‘We take a very intentional approach to IP creation . . . understanding how a new concept can turn into an iconic franchise for PlayStation, that can then again become a franchise for people beyond gaming,’ Hulst said.
With Concord and Astro Bot on opposite ends of the spectrum, they’re both serving as pivot points for PlayStation, with lessons gathered from each. Only time will tell whether the right lessons are being learned, for a brighter future.
Also on ScreenHub: Acclaim announces major showcase to reveal its future
Iconic game publisher Acclaim, newly-resurrected with games industry veteran Alex Josef at the helm, is set to reveal its future in a new showcase airing on 10 September 2025. A teaser video has called back to the early days of the company, with cameo appearances by a range of classic Acclaim-published titles, like NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat. In voiceover, the transmission also includes clips from The Crow (1994) and The Matrix (1999), calling back to the heyday of Acclaim.
Notably, this new version of the company is decades divorced from its predecessor. Acclaim was a prominent and well-regarded publisher that began in 1987, and achieved great success with mainstream titles in the mid-to-late 1990s.
