Serious Questions Must Be Asked About PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst After New Concord Report

"It took one trailer for your average Joe Shmoe gamer to know the fate of Concord. Meanwhile, Hulst was at the helm of its development thinking it was about to be "the future of PlayStation." The level of disconnect is tremendous. This isn't just a catastrophically expensive mistake from Hulst, it is an embarrassing one that raises serious questions about whether he is fit for the role he had, let alone the role has has been promoted to. Hulst and co. get paid untold millions to make the exact calls that just cost Sony half-a-billion dollars when they could have gotten a better counsel from the YouTube comments section. Suffice to say, Hulst and any other PlayStation leadership involved in this disaster have serious questions to answer.

[Knushwood Butt]

'It took one trailer for your average Joe Shmoe gamer to know the fate of Concord.'.

I wonder if the author bought up a load of physical copies and themed controllers in advance of the game being pulled, seen as they have such foresight.

[Notellin]

Everyone knew from the first trailer and if not definitely the beta that this game was dead on arrival.

Probably the most easily predicted flop in media history given it's horrendous reception. People wouldn't even try the free beta.

[Cacabunga]

Hat is obviously way too big for him..
If i were him id step down..

We want Yoshida san back to get those WW back on track.

[VenomUK]

It’s 100% fair and right to examine Herman Hulst’s judgement, his capability and therefore his suitability to hold the title of CEO.

What happened with Concord? Did it have performance milestones that were missed? It seemed like it was half-baked, Acton and shooting and not much else so did Hulst push ǐt through being so basic because it was his baby? It makes you wonder what games are being greenlit and which ideas are being stopped.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

@VenomUK,
It just makes me think of all the games we could have had instead of Concord, I know Sony wasn't interested in allowing a remaster/port/sequel to Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts, or Japan studios to create a new Patapon game, or a Gravity Rush/Ape Escape sequel. I hate to think what games died for this failure to exist.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

The trailer did not look great, the demo just confirmed people's suspicions, I had no interest in the game.

[MrBaskerville]

Probably should have shown that trailer the year before. Instead of a 5 second teaser that revealed nothing.

[TheEroica]

Knushwood Butthurt...

[Rynxie]

He can make it up to us by bringing back killzone. Maybe a reboot? With the plotholes and inconsistencies fixed.

[Chocoburger]

A bit exaggerative. Half a billion? First we went from 200 million, then 400 million, and now its 500 million? In 3 days some blogger is going to claim Concord cost 700 million!

Yes, the game was clearly not going to succeed, nearly everyone knew this in advance, but if Hulst learns his lesson, and focuses on quality single player adventures (additional multiplayer modes are fine too!), then we're okay. If he doesn't learn, then he needs to get the boot.

This is a make-or-break moment for us to believe in him, don't screw it up. The rumored upcoming State of Play with some big announcements should help bring things back in order. I hope.

[SimpleDad]

So basically what you're saying is... wait for E3 for new single player games that will magically appear from Sony.
Herman will, from now on, listen to gamers by releasing Fairgames, Marathon and Horizon gaas.

[InUrFoxHole]

Yes. Wait for E3

[Crows90]

Or maybe until their actual devs release their next games

[Sonic1881]

The rumor State of Play will probably just be remasters of old games and more live service games. There's a disconnect between Herman Hulst and the Playstation fans. I'll be surprised if Hulst ain't fired by next year

[trez1082]

Agreed.

[kindi_boy]

Hulst is doing his job.

[-Foxtrot]

I doubt they'd fire him, they'd just say there's "changes in management" or "internal restructuring"

Like Jim Ryan and his "early retirement"

[Notellin]

Is it really that difficult to understand? Don't be a bootlicker for Sony leadership.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Who knows, they literally grossed 1 Mil, that's nuts, who knows how much was spent on the game, media and merch for it, marketing, refunding the game for customers... It's going to be bad, costings wise. I honestly can't see where all the development time and money went into this game.

@SimpleDad,
Even if he did change direction, we're not going to see the effects of that for years, possibly 3 to 4 years if anything changed, but I'm not feeling confident.

[DarXyde]

I don't know, mate.

This is more than, say, an oversight or misstep. Given the budget and life of this game, it's pretty much kiss-of-death worthy (or very close).

They need to move away from the GaaS stuff, but it remains to be seen if they will.

[Chocoburger]

If we blame Hulst for Concord, then we can also thank Hulst for Astro Bot. Its only fair that it has to go both ways.
Let's just see what happens next instead of just demanding that he be fired after only 6 months. Jim Ryan started the GAAS initiative, and its going to take time (literally 1 - 3 years) for things to turn around, that's just how the industry is these days.

[DarXyde]

Chocoburger,

You're right about that. No disagreement there. I'm not saying I'm not willing to give the guy a chance. He hasn't been in this position long at all.

What I am saying is this was an extraordinary blunder. It's good that Astro Bot succeeded and this failed because it gets the gears turning to figure out what people want.

If it was me, I'd just sell off their live service studios and do what they're good at.

[jznrpg]

Yeah that number is BS

[MrBaskerville]

I doubt there will be anything notable from first party. They usually reveal shortly before release and I doubt they have anything before spring next year. So if they reveal something, it will probably be in februarys state of play. And more by summer.

[DarXyde]

In fairness, they did say not to expect anything big dropping before March.

Even so, announcements heading into the holiday season to entice people to get on the PlayStation bandwagon is a good idea. Console this winter, followed by some games to hammer at your tax refund early next year.

[ravens52]

If this is a peek at what's to come wit Herman, get him tf out of here asap.

[crazyCoconuts]

Didn't he get the job in the midst of the live service strategy? He may still suck, but you'd think it would take about 4 years to see the fruits of new leadership based on how long game development takes...

[ravens52]

Colin said it on sacred symbols. Concord was "Herman Hulst baby apparently". Which he was talking about with someone from the Concord team. He had a hand in this.

[Michiel1989]

yeah people think he can just magically turn everything around when he was put in an awful spot.

@ravens thats called marketing, is he supposed to say: "nah it's kinda meh, not really interested in playing"? And it's apparently working because you guys believe every single word that comes out of their mouth, PR or not.

[porkChop]

He's been the head of PlayStation Studios, overseeing all game development and all acquisitions, for the last 5 years. It's not like he was some outsider that just joined PlayStation 3 months ago. Yes, Jim Ryan was the guy at the top. But it would be very naive to think that Herman Hulst wasn't also an integral part of all this.

And if it takes 4 years to see the fruits of new leadership then consider that Hulst became the head of PlayStation Studios 5 years ago. Everything we've seen over the past year would be the fruits of his leadership starting to kick in, no?

[crazyCoconuts]

@porkchop, yeah good point

[Rimeskeem]

Wasn't this game in development way before Hulst became an exec?

[IRetrouk]

Why you talking sense man? You know this place lives off bs.

[Lionsguard]

Sony was partnered with them already for years, THIS is the only game from Firewalk. HERMAN BOUGHT FIREWALK FOR CONCORD.

[Levii_92]

Man fanboys really are so pathetic aren’t they and to think i was once a PS fanboy. So embarrassing.

Yes this game was in development for 8 years and then it was picked up by Sony half way through when the moron brothers were put in charge Jim Ryan and Herman Hulst. They put money in this thing believing it was the FUTURE of Playstation.. a fucking live service game.. also closing Japanese studios at the same time. Meanwhile one of their Japanese studios just delivered one of the most critically acclaimed and best PS games ever with just 65 people and three years of development.

DO YOU GET IT NOW YOU IDIOTS

[JackBNimble]

Hey guy, if this true not everyone knows that and the article certainly doesn't mention that. First time I've ever heard this.

So you look like a real d-bag calling people idiots who may not have all that facts .

[Levii_92]

Yes you are right Jack however i don’t care how i look because at this point i have zero tolerance for ignorant corporate boot lickers and fanboys defending this guy and Jim Ryan (at the time lol) when i knew from day one when these two were put in charge of things that it would be a disaster. And you can trace that to Zero Dawn coming to PC in early 2020. I knew even then yup it’s over, Playstation we knew is dead.

[gold_drake]

i think u need to get out more, touch some grass. does wonders.

[DarXyde]

This comment isn't cringe or immature at all.

We online are not really what you'd call "normies". We really are more dug in than your average gamer. In knowledge and awareness of the industry.

We're also not a monolith. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone likes Call of Duty. People are super vocal about how it's stale, yet it sells every year without fail.

Maybe Hulst and Ryan simply aren't terminally online and realize the internet doesn't exactly translate into public reception?

Perhaps those defending PlayStation leadership here don't feel the same way you or I might about how the ship has been steered this generation?

You're not the only one who reads silly nonsense from fellow fans (if you will call their comments silly nonsense). If it bothers you that much—to the point that you come out with...this—it might be time to hit some random keys when you change your password, mate. For your own sake, it is nowhere near that deep.

[Rimeskeem]

Ok so you are somewhat correct, Herman Hulst managed studios since 2019, at which time Firewalk was not technically part of PS studios. In 2023 Sony purchased Firewalk, Herman Hulst was then placed as a CEO of SIE and Studio Business Group in June of 2024.

So basically he didn't have the final say on purchasing Firewalk. The person to actually blame for this would be Jim Ryan. He was the head of everything until he retired in 2024. Herman Hulst was under him.

[CS7]

Good lord. The Sony defending is ridiculous at this point. People need to realize that defending them is what LEADS to Concord type failures. We NEED to call out stuff like the live service push, stupid PS5 Pro price and bare bones PS5 exclusive line up.

The same stupid defense arguments were made when the reports came out that Sony was doing live service instead of a strong push back from fans and here we are in the thick of it.

The point of the article is the Hulst should have taken one look at the steaming pile of trash and said hell no and moved on, like millions of fans obviously did.

Not pour hundreds of millions into its completion (which could have gone to better PS5 single player exclusives like Astro Bot) or even into a better multiplayer IP like SOCOM, Warhawk, Killzone etc.

He didn't and that's a problem. Playstation leadership is out of touch.

(And please no one reply and say Xbox, they're dead and this point and not even worth comparing to)

[Michiel1989]

Saying that it's not (only) Hermen Hulst who is at fault is not defending sony, it's observing the timeline and using common sense. Playstation's whole strategy with the live service was just a failure, they could maybe have done 1 besides helldivers, but there is no reason to make a scapegoat out of this guy for things when they were greenlit, he could do nothing about.

[JackBNimble]

Ya, this is my exact question. The game was in development for 8 years, what role does Hulst actually have in this?

If anything Jim Ryan was at the helm for a much longer period of time while this game was under development and Jim was the one originally pushing gass.

I don't know anything about this Hulst guy, but is he really the one accountable or just the fall guy?
And isn't there a second sony CEO? I thought there were 2 running the show this time around?

[MrBaskerville]

But wasn't he responsible for the game divisions or something, before becoming CEO? Ryan is probably the one to blame though, he must have been responsible for the gaas pivot that has stalled things.

[Whitey2k]

Not every game they will make is gonna be perfect with the studios sony either make games the ips they already have . Buy a publisher that has ips which I doubt nobody wants anyways or buy ips outright so they can increase there ips output otherwise we just have game like concord

[XxSPIDEYxX]

Used to really like Herman, but that promotion he got was a bad idea. Responsible for Killzone too.

[Gamerscore2077]

The problem with these game journalists nowadays, is that they will run with a story without fact checking it. The only source that they have right now is what Colin stated on his podcast. No one, including Colin, knows if this story is true, but yet, there has been 15 articles posted about it like Sony confirmed it. This is why game journalism is completely unreliable.

[tehpees3]

At least the $50 million GTA IV DLC claim was backed up by showing the transaction through Take Two’s income reports. This has nothing but people speculating.

If the game was in development for so many years it no doubt cost Sony a lot of money but unless somebody at the top monitored every single thing with the game’s development very few will know what the actual figure really is. And the people in the boardroom never release numbers publicly

[CS7]

Even if the 400 million figure isn't true I still think the article is legitimate.

I mean how do you lead a video game company and look and concord and not immediately go nope this aint it folks.

Its horrendous.

Literally once the gameplay started during the state of play, I closed it off and never looked back. Didn't even worth my time to watch the trailer.

[gold_drake]

yeh but hulst didnt lead the compa u tho, he wasnt in charge.

im not quite sure why this is even on here

[CrimsonWing69]

I thought things would be better with Jimbo gone… I was wrong.

[Mr_cheese]

Herman hulst hasn't even been in charge that long. Concord was a decision made long before Hulst took over and yet, you cling to it like it's his issue.

The true effect of Hulst will take a few years to come into fruition.

The person to blame for all of this has already left the business.

[Notellin]

No Herman bought Firewalk in 2021. He made the statement himself and it's been confirmed already. This was his baby. Intelligent people realize he was already in a leadership position before CEO and that he made the decision on Concord.

Try and do any research it all before you defend rich people, bootlicker.

[Mr_cheese]

Someone has come on the offensive with "intelligent people" and "bootlicker"

Concord was a colossal failure and Bungie hold the majority of the blame for that. We will find out how good or bad Hurst is over the next few years, until then, maybe go outside and calm down

[Eonjay]

Sony buys companies, not the execs or the CEOs. Herman can't buy Firewalk. What does that even mean?

[Lightning77]

Herman before his role when Ryan was in charge he was doing 1st and third party relations. Which means he manages and Green lits first party games. He scouts and signs on 3rd party games AAA or indie) he tells Jim which games look good and which games aren't shaping up to be good. Jim trusted Herman because he's done a great job before Concord so of course Jim was gonna buy Firewalk based on Suggestions by Herman. The issue is Sony knows what makes a good SP but struggles to know what a good LS game looks like.

IMO if Sony wants to succeed in LS they need to be original in their approach to LS. Anyway Jim bought Firewalk not Herman he didn't have that sorta power.

[Lightning77]

I was just thinking this. Herman is partially responsible because he had very high hope for this game. The bigger picture here is we still have ND new IP Ghost 2, Santa Monica New IP to look forward to. So yes he's partially to blame for Concord but he's still ushering Sony's highest profiled Studios with new AAA IP.

[Baza]

Herman was President of PlayStation Studios in 2019.. He absolutely had a say in Sony purchasing Firewalk and believing in Concord.

[neomahi]

He did great running Guerilla Games. One studio? No problem. We got a diverse catalog of games. Once he got to PlayStation, PlayStation's identity has begun to sway. PlayStation is on PC!?!? Why!?? Is Nintendo on PC? The one gaming platform who depends solely on gaming because there's nothing else to fall back on. Xbox has Windows and Office software, Sony has everything end-to-end in film, music, and electronics, Nintendo doesn't, but Nintendo has zero concern and STILL publishes ONLY on their platform. PlayStation has zero reason to have to show lack of confidence in their platform, but this guy changed all of that. Jim Ryan lost MLB The Show, I still don't understand. Lego Horizon? Oh, that's for Hulsts name written all over it. And now.... Freedom Wars!?!? WHAT THE!!!??? Using Namco-Bandai to cover up their intentions..... And what is Nintendo porting? Not a THING!

We all know why Xbox is porting games, in a way, they're very much in the SEGA situation. If they didn't have Microsoft to reach deep into their pockets, Xbox division alone MAY NOT be doing as well as anything thinks. They way overbid for Activision, haven't kept their word, and they're definitely paying for it. It didn't pay off like they thought. They have all of this IP rotting away.

But, again, I go back to, all Nintendo has is gaming. There's no: Nintendo TV. Nintendo Blu-ray player. There's no Nintendo camcorder. There's no Nintendo cell phone. There's no Nintendo: MP3 Player, Vinyl turntable, tablets, Nintendo Music, Nintendo Pictures, earbuds and headphones, PCs. Gaming is it and Nintendo isn't the least bit worried about PC as a threat or any real way of making a significant profit. So, Nintendo is either confident and right and has nothing legitimately to worry about, or they're going to be a major trouble after placing their bet solely on the Switch 2 to watch consoles crash and burn with any kind of footing prepared to step on if consoles really so crash..... So, again, why is PlayStation so worried and porting games to the PC with three on the Switch? Makes no sense, does it? Looking at Nintendos position should be a relief so PlayStation, unless PlayStation is forward thinking and Nintendo can't see it coming and is horribly going to crash and burn and be the one to meet the Sega date having no established PC footing or fanbase

[Soy]

Can't blame anyone for MLB going multi-platform - Major League Baseball said they wouldn't renew the license unless they put the game on more consoles. Put it on Xbox and Nintendo or lose the game entirely. It was the only way to go.

[Zenzuu]

Sony has so many great dominant IP's that they can bring back, such as Infamous, Socom, Ape Escape, Jak & Daxter, Siren, Sly Cooper, Killzone, Twisted Metal, Little Big Planet, Gravity Rushy, Motorstorm, Wild Arms, Resistance, Wipeout, Alundra, Colony Wars, Cool Boarders, Knack, Syphon Filter, Dark Cloud, Omega Boost, The Legend of Dragoon, G-Police, The Getaway and so on. Many of these games is what defines Playstation and sets them apart in previous generations.

I rather they focus on that, instead of Live Service games that's been so heavily invested now days.

They could also work with third parties developers to bring these franchises back like Parasite Eve, Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver, Dino Crisis, Ridge Racer, SSX, Tenchu, Jade Cocoon, Xenogears, Lunar Silver Star, Nightmare Creatures, Vagrant Story, Shadow Hearts, Driver, Breath of Fire, Tomba, Legend of Legaia, Okami..etc

[MrBaskerville]

I wish they would rerelease Siren 2. It's crazy that they have one of the best horror games of all time, but only ever gave it a limited release. And for some reason they only ever acknowledge the much inferior first game.

[RaiderNation]

The fate of Concord was set in motion long before HH took over as CEO. He has barely had time to warm up his seat, let alone make any effective change. He very well may turn out to be a terrible CEO, but I'm not going to judge him on this one game.

If anything, it could be argued that HH is why Sony pivoted so quickly on Concord and refunded everyone. If Jim Ryan was still in charge, how long would this have lingered? Who knows but clearly Sony did the right thing by "erasing" this game from existence and putting it behind them. An expensive lesson to learn, but let's hope it's for the best long-term.

[Hofstaderman]

I have a feeling that's why there is a Co CEO for the first time in PS history. Its easier for them to tell Herman he needs to scoot.

[Notellin]

Here before @Christopher comes to defend Sony leadership.

Herman should have his contract terminated or be fired immediately. Concord was his decision and he lost Sony 400 million. That should be enough reason.

[Mr_cheese]

Concord, the game that's been in development for 8 years is the fault of the guy who took over 6 months ago.

You've got a vendetta.

Heads should role, but it's not his yet.

[trez1082]

Sony leadership? Yes they lost money on the game but why do anyone need to defend or attack them? We don’t know if he was also responsible for some of the success they’ve had recently but as a gaming company they lost money and also made money and have contributed to a good year of gaming.

If him losing his job means more single than I’m all for it but “ Sony’s leadership “ still responsible of some pretty good games this year.

[lucasnooker]

Well… he was leading killzone and horizon which were overhyped. Both franchises meh in my opinion. Killzone 2 was the only game that I thought was great for its time…

[CS7]

Horizon was a massive success and one of the best RPGs of last generation from a developer who only made FPS.

Heck they made a better RPG that gen than both Square Enix and BioWare, the legacy industry RPG titans.

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Helldivers & Factions are good GaaS, because people want to be in those worlds for years to come.

Concord and Fairgame$ are DOA because people can’t stomach their trailers.

This isn’t rocket science: test a trailer before committing a team to EIGHT years of work.

[evil6eric99]

He's more concerned with hitting his ESG and DEI metrics than the fun factor of the game...it's entertainment, not a diversity lesson. This dude needs to go back to his game developer roots, what made him passionate about video games and video game design.

[Tankbusta40]

This guy should be canned...

[gold_drake]

why are we talking about Hulst when the game was in development before he was an exec?

how is this his fault now all of a sudden lol

whats happening to this website, these comments are ridiculous lol

[jBlakeeper]

If things continue the way they are now then PlayStation will be the next Xbox. But it’s typical with PlayStation. Every other gen they do really well and then get cocky and make horrible, arrogant decisions the gen after.

[gold_drake]

i dunno.
i think that sony was there before and they course corrected.

xbox just never does that.

[Father__Merrin]

400 mil better spent of 3rd party Exclusives

[SaveFerris]

These missteps began when Sony moved the HQ to California. I think Sony gamers want new games, but I also think there is room for remasters of certain popular games such as Bloodborne, or Syphon Filter. IMO, Days Gone and HZD remasters are pointless and a waste of resources. I like Days Gone, it is just an okay game, but not fantastic. It didn't sell all that well either. I have Freedom Wars on the Vita, but I don't think people are clamouring for it now.
I agree with @Zenzuu regarding the classic games from older gens.

[Jingsing]

This is the man who is responsible for killing PlayStation exclusivity and ultimately will be responsible for killing the PlayStation brand.

[gold_drake]

what are u even talkimg about lol

[Chocoburger]

He's blaming Hulst for Sony PC ports, even though he wasn't the man in charge during the time the decision was made.

He also believes that gamers will stop buying PS consoles, and everyone will just switch to PC gaming instead, thus killing off the PS hardware and brand.

Its clearly not going to happen because PS5 has been extremely profitable for them over the past 4 years. Most console gamers do not want to become PC gamers, but there are people out there who can't accept that.

[MADGameR]

If Herman Hulst is the one responsible for Concord and or responsible for the GAAS games route, he needs to step down RIGHT NOW! As a PlayStation fan, I take pride of PlayStation console game for one thing and one thing only: AAA exclusives. Also to be able to collect them physically is also important. If they go the digital route with PS6, I will drop all support from PlayStation.

[Michiel1989]

Mate, Concord was greenlit way before Hermen Hulst became CEO. Should he just have canclled it? No one expected the game to flop to the degree that it did, no one could have. The beta was way too late for that.

[RhinoGamer88]

You can ask, there will be no response or accountability for Hermen Hulst... Typical game CEO deflection and protection.

[Knightofelemia]

If Hulst thought Concord was The Future of Playstation I don't see him leading Playstation into the future. The game was crap. Time to fire Hulst and bring someone more capable into to do the job. 400 million is a significant chunk of change to waste and lose with no return to gain.

[Npugz7]

If hulst seriously was behind concord he needs to be let go!

[Reaper22_]

Playstation leadership has been very disappointing lately.

[Charlieboy333]

And what about Phil's disconnect saying Halo Infinite looks/is great before Craig's big debut? Or his disconnect praising Redfall and Starfield as the next big things before release? Or claiming Crackdown 3 would propel the series to heights and take it's place among Gears and Halo as one of Xbox's tentpole franchises? I have not once heard him called into question yet Herman needs to answer for the one and only Xbox level flop in recent memory despite creating far bigger successes for Playstation. Pathetic people seriously.

[Azfargh]

I knew from the day I've read that Hermen Hulst was appointed to be Playstation CEO that it won't end well... His track record of games he developed is not on par for that position (for what I am aware, Killzone 2 and Horizon Zero Dawn was the only two that hit good results, all the rest not even remembered) neither he seems to be in touch with the gamer base in general. Sony was lacking in people to be appointed for the job, that is clear now more than ever... They need people like Satoru Iwata, not an spineless average developer that seems to be easy to be pushed around. Time for revaluate the worst leadership ever made for Playstation brand,

[DigitallyAfflicted]

You could point fingers at the creative director and game director for choosing how this game looked and played and maybe even more people who made wrong decisions, but in the end, it is always up to people who sign off on those bad ideas, they are the ones accountable.

I haven't played the game because it didn't look like something i wanted to pay for, and that was the problem. The game looked free to play... It's a shame they cancelled it instead of going FPV, i would give it a go for free. Perfect title for PS Plus.

[DafunkyRebel]

He should be fired for Concord, and for allowing political activists to run rampant on Sony grounds and if we're looking at it from a corporate side he should be held responsible for the loss of 400mil and be fired for that alone. The reason the PS5 Pro is so expensive is to make up for that massive loss, otherwise it might've been only 500 bucks at the most.