Helldivers 2's launch earlier this year cemented PlayStation's plan of live-service titles in a way that the industry hasn't really seen yet. The purchase of Bungie was seemingly a starting point, but Helldivers 2's budget-friendly price and a wave of free content updates and an engaged community made people realize that live-service games can be good.
Unfortunately, the PS5's next console-exclusive from PlayStation, Concord, is currently on a trajectory to miss the same appeal as the bug-smashing patriotism of Arrowhead Studios' title. A mix-match of many hero-shooters and other sci-fi themes, Concord hit a 2,388 player peak during the recent open beta on Steam. A lot larger than Suicide Squad's player count, but no where near the heights of the viral hit PlayStation published earlier this year.
However, while Concord's player count on PS5 and PC combined may keep the title alive for a period of time, there's another issue around the corner for the upcoming title; Marvel Rivals. NetEase Games' use of the Marvel IP brings a hero-shooter that borrows a lot of elements from Overwatch, but as Overwatch fans prepare to move to Rivals, it may just kill Concord before it can take flight.
The biggest reason, aside from the Marvel namesake, is the fact that Concord is a pay-to-play experience. The base version of the game is $39.99 / £34.99, while Marvel Rivals is set to be free-to-play. Annoyingly, Marvel Rivals is reportedly having a MultiVersus-style character rotation when it launches, but that still beats the mid-priced approach of PlayStation's hero shooter.
That being said, don't take our word for it — the numbers offer far more evidence. According to SteamDB, Marvel Rivals hit over 50k players peak since the start of the closed beta. That's far more players than PlayStation's upcoming title, and the worst part is the fact that Marvel Rivals' beta codes are random, whereas Concord had completely open beta on the second weekend.
Of course, a lot of things can change from now until launch. Many may purchase Concord on PS5 over PC, while NetEase could see the success of Marvel Rivals and drastically change its monetization approach, ruining goodwill before it even launches. However, it's not a good sign that a PlayStation-published title isn't faring well before it even releases.