The sport director of Harmony is reportedly stepping down from his function as the sport’s future stays to be determined.
Ryan Ellis instructed workers at Firewalk Studios final week that he would not be serving as recreation director on Harmony and would as a substitute be stepping down right into a help function, in keeping with Kotaku.
Citing three sources conversant in the transfer, the publication says Ellis was emotional when initially chatting with workers after the sport’s launch, when it was clear that it was going to be a significant failure.
“Ryan deeply believed in that undertaking and bringing gamers collectively by the enjoyment in it,” one former developer instructed Kotaku. “No matter there being issues that would have been completed in a different way all through improvement, he’s a very good human, and stuffed with coronary heart.”
Earlier this month Sony introduced plans to take Harmony offline, pull the sport from sale and provide refunds to all gamers who purchased it, simply two weeks after launch.
The information adopted stories that the PS5 and PC recreation might have offered as few as 25,000 copies throughout each platforms since its launch on August 23.
“Harmony followers — we’ve been listening carefully to your suggestions for the reason that launch of Harmony on PlayStation 5 and PC and wish to thank everybody who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar,” Ellis mentioned on the time.
“Your help and the passionate neighborhood that has grown across the recreation has meant the world to us. Nonetheless, whereas many qualities of the expertise resonated with gamers, we additionally acknowledge that different facets of the sport and our preliminary launch didn’t land the way in which we’d supposed.
“Subsequently, right now, we’ve determined to take the sport offline starting September 6, 2024, and discover choices, together with these that may higher attain our gamers. Whereas we decide the perfect path forward, Harmony gross sales will stop instantly and we are going to start to supply a full refund for all players who’ve bought the sport for PS5 or PC.”
It’s not but clear what the way forward for Harmony will likely be, neither is it recognized whether or not Firewalk will proceed to steer on the sport’s improvement.
Regardless of its failure, Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming animated anthology Secret Stage will nonetheless reportedly retain its episode based mostly on Harmony, and won’t take away it from the line-up.
