Concord: A Short-Lived, But Not Fleeting Success

Concord's launch was underwhelming, resulting in a rapid server shutdown. This article explores the reasons behind the game's swift demise.

Firewalk Studios' Hero Shooter, Concord, Grounds After Two Weeks

Lack of Hype Leads to Closure

Firewalk Studios' 5v5 hero shooter, Concord, is shutting down just two weeks post-launch. Game Director Ryan Ellis announced the closure on September 3rd, 2024, via the PlayStation Blog, citing unmet expectations. The game, while possessing some appealing qualities, failed to resonate with players as intended. Servers went offline on September 6th, 2024. Digital purchases on Steam, Epic Games Store, and PlayStation Store will receive automatic refunds. Physical copy owners should contact their retailer for returns.

Firewalk Studios and Sony clearly envisioned a larger future for Concord. Sony's acquisition of Firewalk, based on their perceived potential, seemed promising, especially with positive statements from Ellis and Firewalk's studio head, Tony Hsu. Concord was even slated for an episode in the upcoming Prime Video series, Secret Level. An ambitious post-launch roadmap, including a Season 1 launch in October and weekly cutscenes, was initially planned. However, poor performance forced a drastic revision of these plans. Only three cutscenes were released – two from the beta and one shortly before the shutdown announcement.

Factors Contributing to Concord's Failure

Concord's decline was evident from the outset. Despite an eight-year development, player interest remained low, peaking at only 697 concurrent players. Current player counts are significantly lower. These figures exclude PlayStation 5 users, but even considering them, the numbers pale in comparison to the beta's peak of 2,388 players, falling far short of expectations for a Sony-published AAA title.

Several factors contributed to Concord's downfall. Analyst Daniel Ahmad highlighted strong gameplay but a lack of differentiation from existing hero shooters. The character designs were deemed uninspired, leaving the game feeling outdated. The $40 price point was also a significant disadvantage compared to free-to-play competitors like Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends, and Valorant. Minimal marketing further hampered its success.

Ellis stated that Firewalk Studios will explore future options to better connect with players. A potential revival is not entirely ruled out. The successful relaunch of Gigantic, transitioning from a live-service to a buy-to-play model, demonstrates the possibility of a comeback. However, simply making Concord free-to-play might not resolve its core issues: uninspired character designs and sluggish gameplay. A complete overhaul, similar to the successful Final Fantasy XIV redesign, might be necessary.

Game8's review (56/100) described Concord as a visually appealing yet lifeless game, highlighting the unfortunate outcome of eight years of development. For a detailed review, please see the link below.