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[Bartski]

Moriarty on Sacred Symbols just dropped the megaton of the day - Concord was referred to as a game with Star Wars-like potential inside Sony and the "The Future of PlayStation", despite allegedly looking like shit in alpha after drowning 200mil, just to make Sony to drop another 200 to reach a bare MVP...
At 400 000 000 USD, excluding studio purchase costs! And GaaS running cost budget, at the end making 0 USD profit.
It's the biggest game Sony has ever released and most likely the biggest financial flop in the history of the videogame industry.

Moriarty says the game was "Hermen Hulst's baby" championed by himself this hard internally.

What happens now? Is this the end of Hermen Hulst as the CEO at Playstation?

 

[GHG]

I doubt it, but he really should.

Don't even think he'd be fit for going back to just managing Guerrilla considering his fetish for Horizon.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

If Sony had my muscle the axe would have never stopped at Jim in the first place

 

[Killjoy-NL]

No, I think they just gambled on Concord and it backfired.

It happens.

 

[The Cockatrice]

There are worse CEO's in the world and nothing happens to them. He's going to sink Sony and I doubt there's anything anyone can do.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

If that video is true then holy shit, how do you even come back from that? I think he’s cooked.

 

[Neff]

Probably not but he'll get a good telling off for allowing stuff like 'toxic positivity' and 'The Professor' to happen under his watch.

Oh and I forgot about this guy

 

[nial]

"Concord is supposed to be the company's biggest product of all time!"
"Huh, so don't expect any big sellers in FY 24-25, investors".
this shit doesn't make any sense

 

[Aenima]

Most likelly not, but he should. That shows a tremend lack of vision and a total disconect with your audience.

 

[{insert code here}]

Nope, people like Hulst never take responsibility for their actions. He will shift the blame onto somewhere (or someone) else. Sony is a big company for sure but they're not so big that they can just cap 400M. When Fairgame inevitably flops (or gets cancelled) and Sony has to eat another 400M then he probably gets the axe.

 

[Msamy]

Fuc. Him and his managers

 

[diffusionx]

I don’t see how he doesn’t. He obviously has no idea what he is doing. It’s at the point where either Hulst keeps his job or the PlayStation business stays viable.

 

[Nankatsu]

I honestly don't like Herman and everything that he praises as hell (Horizon, I'm looking at you).

Playstation needs a new head imo.

Hope he gets axed.

 

[Shubh_C63]

That's leadership's job. He takes the big risk and convinces everyone.

You axe only when you have direct 343, Concord or Xbox One launch level fuckup only.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I'm just shocked they never even went the F2P route before the quick axe. That strikes me as Japan coming down hard and readying a restructure of power and decision making.

 

[Aenima]

I'm just shocked they never even went the F2P route before the quick axe. That strikes me as Japan coming down hard and readying a restructure of power and decision making.

Game had less players during the open beta that was free for all, than during the closed beta that was only for ppl that pre-ordered. I think Sony could see the game was dead. The pricing was never the problem, Helldivers was a success and launched at the same price.

 

[Little Chicken]

Wasn't Concord greenlit by Jim? Probably one of the reasons why he "quit".

 

[Guardian Monkey]

How would this guy get anything wrong?!?

The head of Playstation studios uses his PS5 upside down

What is going on here...? lol Hermen Hulst, who is the head of PlayStation Studios (formerly the Head of Guerrila Games) Tweeted out a questionable image of his PS5 last night before quickly deleting it. The picture had his PS5 upside down on his entertainment unit (and a cat scratching at...

www.neogaf.com

 

[DeepEnigma]

Helldivers was a success and launched at the same price.

Such a good game!

 

[Guardian Monkey]

I'm just shocked they never even went the F2P route before the quick axe. That strikes me as Japan coming down hard and readying a restructure of power and decision making.

It will probably get some time to clean it up and come back ftp.

 

[Hookshot]

He should be made to pay it all back.

 

[JaksGhost]

If all it took was one flop we would be revolving studio heads every 6-12 months.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Totoki-san is sharpening his blade, but it's not there yet.

Fairgames, though... Jade might become the most expensive shag of his life.

 

[Kacho]

I fully expect him to announce his departure by the end of the year.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

How do you have any credibility left after this? How would you feel as an employee if your CEO went all in on their most expensive project ever and it resulted in a total loss and embarrassment? How do you convince your shareholders and investors that this is the guy you should trust with your investment?

I really think he’s done if that video is true. That’s a career-ending fuck up.

 

[Cakeboxer]

I think Ryan already got axed for that. Nobody can tell me they didn't see that coming since at least a year.

 

[JaksGhost]

I think Ryan already got axed for that. Nobody can tell me they didn't see that coming since at least a year.

If that was the case why did they promote Herman?

 

[Cakeboxer]

If that was the case why did they promote Herman?

Did he greenlight it or Ryan?

 

[BennyBlanco]

Ubisoft CEO has been much worse for a much longer period and remains there. Phil Spencer ran an entire console business into the ground and remains there. Hermen will have like a 10 year run IMO.

 

[RoboFu]

yeah if it was really 400 million to make. The easiest way out of investor anger is to fire someone.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

The staff and the studio are not to blame.

It's Hulst's fault.

 

[Ulysses 31]

No doubt the guy has a golden parachute if he gets the boot.

 

[ungalo]

Axe the studio and for him a warning will do.

 

[Nydius]

It will probably get some time to clean it up and come back ftp.

I know this is almost beating a dead horse at this point but why would they spend countless millions more to retool the game F2P? Even if they do nothing else to address the issues with maps and character design, they would have to fundamentally rework the entire game to add a MTX and battle pass system.

Completely retooled UI, a whole bunch of paid cosmetics that people would want to buy, and a massive marketing push to try and wash the stink of the previous flop off the IP… just so they could launch into the same oversaturated market where no one would choose them over Overwatch, Apex, Valorant, or Marvel Rivals, just like the first time?

Spending any money to do anything with this game further would be their second biggest blunder behind launching it in the first place.

 

[Crispy Gamer]

Yeah and bring Shawn Layden back since Sony don't speak anymore he would be perfect

 

[kaizenkko]

I don't think, but I hope so. God knows how I hope so..

 

[Punished Miku]

I'm not sure they have anyone better that wants the job.

 

[Bruno_Arrais85]

No, they will fire someone else instead.

 

[BennyBlanco]

I'm not sure they have anyone better that wants the job.

 

[Punished Miku]

Honestly my guess would be Jade Raymond. Been saying that for a while.

 

[DryvBy]

Probably not but he'll get a good telling off for allowing stuff like 'toxic positivity' and 'The Professor' to happen under his watch.

Oh and I forgot about this guy

Anyone hiring these racist noodle heads needs to be fired.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Honestly my guess would be Jade Raymond. Been saying that for a while.

I could see it because she would make for a good talking head, but sadly her studio is about to ship the next Concord

 

[darrylgorn]

Mark Rein?

 

[DeepEnigma]

Yeah and bring Shawn Layden back since Sony don't speak anymore he would be perfect

Hell to the nah. He's even more entrenched in the west coast cultural ideology war.

 

[Kacho]

I could see it because she would make for a good talking head, but sadly her studio is about to ship the next Concord

Yep. Gonna be another bust on her resume.

 

[Punished Miku]

I could see it because she would make for a good talking head, but sadly her studio is about to ship the next Concord

Yeah but at that level you're managing studios, recruiting top people and trying to greenlight franchises. She has experience in all that even with some missteps. And she does great PR.

 

[tmlDan]

I think Jim and Connie took the blow for Concord, Sony knew this would happen a year prior. They just invested too much to stop.

 

[Kacho]

Yeah but at that level you're managing studios, recruiting top people and trying to greenlight franchises. She has experience in all that even with some missteps. And she does great PR.

I’m not arguing against you. Just stating that the last ‘good’ thing she was involved with creatively was Splinter Cell Blacklist, a decade ago.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

No, he'll get promoted. That's clearly how the company operates these days.

 

[Bloobs]

He can stay if they never produce another Horizon game.