Firewalk Studios

**Firewalk Studios** is an American game development studio based in Bellevue, Washington. Founded in 2018, it is a subsidiary of PlayStation Studios, and is owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment since 2023.

Firewalk was established in 2018 as a subsidiary of ProbablyMonsters, by veterans of game companies such as Bungie and Activision including former Activision executive Tony Hsu and former Bungie creative director Ryan Ellis, who worked on the *Destiny* franchise together. ProbablyMonsters collaborated with PlayStation maker Sony in the establishment and growth of the studio, and the three companies announced their partnership in April 2021.

In April 2023, Sony announced its acquisition of Firewalk Studios from ProbablyMonsters. The studio is currently working on *Concord*, a multiplayer first-person shooter for the PlayStation 5 and PC.

## History

### 2018-2021: Establishment, ProbablyMonsters subsidiary

Firewalk Studios was established in 2018 as part of video game incubation company ProbablyMonsters. Among its founders are Ryan Ellis, Tony Hsu and Elena Siegman; all three were veterans who worked on Bungie's Activision-published *Destiny* franchise, with Ellis and Siegman being former Bungie employees as creative director and producer respectively, whereas Hsu worked at Activision as general manager and senior vice president of the *Destiny* IP. Firewalk's first studio was located within the garage of ProbablyMonsters' founder and chief executive officer, Harold Ryan, who previously served the same role within Bungie.

According to Hsu and Ellis, Sony Interactive Entertainment showed interest in the studio's work and supported them "from the beginning". As part of the partnership, Sony wanted for Firewalk to operate separately from ProbablyMonsters' other studios, so Ryan obliged by setting "a 1,500 square-foot building", to create a "secure space".

### 2021-current: PlayStation partnership and acquisition

On April 22, 2021, it was formally announced that Sony and ProbablyMonsters signed a deal for the former to publish Firewalk's first project as an AAA multiplayer title for the PlayStation 5. At the time of the partnership's announcement, Firewalk Studios' manpower was in the "upper double digits". Siegman left Firewalk in August 2022.

On April 20, 2023, Sony announced its intentions to acquire Firewalk from ProbablyMonsters for an undisclosed sum. As part of the press release, Sony announced that Firewalk's upcoming title will be in collaboration of fellow PlayStation subsidiaries Bungie and Haven Studios, and confirmed a PC version alongside its PlayStation 5 release. At the time of the acquisition, Firewalk Studios employed roughly 150 people. In May 2023, Firewalk formally announced its game as *Concord*, with release window in 2024.

## Relationships with other studios

### Bungie

Firewalk is comprised of several former Bungie and Activision alumni who worked on Bungie's *Destiny* series; Hsu described Firewalk's connection to Bungie as "close personal and professional relationships". Following Firewalk's acquisition by Sony in April 2023, it was confirmed that Bungie will be collaborating with Firewalk on their multiplayer title.

### Haven Studios

Following Firewalk's acquisition by Sony in April 2023, it was confirmed that Haven will be collaborating with Firewalk on their multiplayer title.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/playstation-signs-aaa-multiplayer-game-from-former-destiny-veterans
2. ↑ https://venturebeat.com/games/probably-monsters-ceo-how-to-manage-multiple-triple-a-games/
3. ↑ Welcoming Firewalk Studios to the PlayStation Studios family, April 2023. Hulst, Herman.
Tony Hsu and Ryan Ellis: *"Fortunately, we’ve been supported by great partners throughout – ProbablyMonsters helped turbocharge us in setting up the studio, and Sony has been supporting our project and our creative vision from the beginning."*
4. ↑ https://venturebeat.com/games/probably-monsters-ceo-how-to-manage-multiple-triple-a-games/
5. ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/playstation-signs-aaa-multiplayer-game-from-former-destiny-veterans
6. ↑ Linkedin profile
7. ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2023/04/20/welcoming-firewalk-studios-to-the-playstation-studios-family/
8. ↑ https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230420005272/en/Sony-Interactive-Entertainment-to-Acquire-Firewalk-Studios-from-ProbablyMonsters-Inc.
9. ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/playstation-our-live-service-games-will-target-different-genres-release-schedules-and-audiences

## External links

* Official website
* Twitter account