In a surprising move, Sony and Fireworks Studios have admitted defeat and killed Concord just two weeks after its launch on PS5 and PC. The game has been discontinued and will officially go offline on September 6.
If you’ve been following the news, you probably already know why: no one is actually playing the game. On PC, live-service shooters failed to attract 1,000 concurrent players on launch day. That number has only decreased. Over the past few days, Concord has struggled to attract more than 100 concurrent players. Some hoped the numbers would improve on PlayStation 5, but that’s clearly not the case.
“Concorde fans, we’ve been listening closely to your feedback since Concorde launched on PlayStation 5 and PC, and we want to thank everyone aboard Northstar,” game director Ryan Ellis wrote in a PlayStation Blog post. “Your support and the passionate community that has grown around the game has meant the world to us.”
“However, while many of the qualities of the experience have resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and its initial launch did not work out as we had intended. That’s why, for now, we’ve decided to take the game offline from September 6, 2024, while we explore options, including those that can better connect with our players.”
The language used is important to remember because while the game is offline and out of sales, Sony and Firewalk want to find a way to revive Concord. The obvious answer is to revive the title as a free-to-play title, giving it a low barrier to entry and a chance to attract curious players. One of the biggest reasons players don’t like the game is the art style, which they hate the moment they see it.
But while Sony and Fireworks seem intent on bringing Concord back in some form, Sony has also talked about dampening its push for live services. Could Concord be completely eliminated? It would be a bitter pill for Sony to swallow, but is it worth investing millions more into the game without drastically changing the art and redesigning the game for a free-to-play model?
The blog post said that everyone who purchased the game (estimated at around 25,000 just a few days ago) would automatically be refunded.
This is a huge blow to Firewalk Studios. They’ve been developing the game for 5-8 years, which makes sense since Overwatch was so popular at the time. Sony acquired Firewalk last year, probably because they found something they liked about the team and Concord. So the financial hit isn’t as devastating for them, but it’s still a pretty big flop. In fact, I’d say this is the biggest flop in Sony’s history.
My biggest concern right now is probably all of Fireworks’ employees. I hope it doesn’t lead to mass layoffs.
Is this another sign that the live service bubble has burst? Despite everything, many people who played Concord said it was good. But good alone isn’t enough in a market where free-to-play titles are free and play great. Plus, live service shooters have to compete for the most precious commodity people have: time. Most people will invest money and time in one or two live service games, and it takes something really special to entice them, and Concord didn’t.
Will Concorde return, or is this the end?
