Flops in the video game industry are nothing new. Every year, countless games launch with grand fanfare only to end up falling flat on their faces. 2024 has already witnessed its fair share of AAA flops like Skull and Bones and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, but nothing comes closer than the recently launched Concord by Firewalk Studios.
When Concord was first teased at Sony’s PlayStation Showcase on May 24, 2023, fans raised their eyebrows. The trailer hinted at a colorful, team-based PvP shooter that looked a lot like Overwatch. Sony aimed to cash in on the live-service shooter market with their own twist. But rather than a refreshing hit, it went like a damp firework.
Although the closed beta release gave us a hint of the game's fate, the official release was the final nail in the coffin. Within two weeks of launch, the game went offline. During this period, it sold only 25,000 copies. Yes, you heard that right. Concord peaked at 697 concurrent players, most of which were content creators and reviewers.
Firewalk Studios ceased all sales and initiated a refund program for those who had already purchased, leaving fans and critics alike scratching their heads. What went so wrong so quickly?
It’s a hard pill to swallow, especially when you think about all those developers, designers, and artists who poured their hearts and years of work into this project. After nearly eight years in development, Concord couldn’t even stay alive for a month.
Concord was attempting to break into a market that was anything but fresh. PvP live-service games once seemed like the golden ticket—titles like Destiny and Overwatch set the stage, becoming massive successes and inspiring countless imitators.
But what worked wonders for Bungie and Blizzard back then doesn’t necessarily work now. The live-service shooter market is crowded, with established giants and countless underdogs fighting for attention.
From a graphical perspective, Concord felt polished and refined. It had the Sony seal of quality.
But here’s where it stings: eight years and a staggering $400 million in budget went into creating a game that, ultimately, felt like what’s already out there. With numbers like that, fans naturally had sky-high expectations for something groundbreaking. Instead, they were handed a game that felt like another PvP live-service shooter without any compelling twist.
As some critics said, the characters seemed underdeveloped and needed to be reworked based on a few suggestions received during the beta release. Given that it had already taken eight years, there would have been no harm in taking more time to adjust this. But what did Sony do? They went ahead with the scheduled launch.
To top it off, Concord was released with a hefty price tag of $40, which many fans found hard to swallow. With countless free alternative games in the genre—why would they want to shell out $40 just to start from scratch with this one? A better business model could have prevented this outcome.
Lastly, Sony's blundered marketing deserves special mention. It all started with the first reveal trailer, which launched just a few months before the final release. Fans found it emphasized cinematics over actual gameplay, an essential aspect of any multiplayer game.
Initially, rumors popped up that Concord was coming back with a better strategy, but from my perspective, salvaging the game is next to impossible. Firewalk Studios has announced a complete shutdown by Sony with no further roadmaps.
Also, based on Concord's outcome, we can say that Sony should stick to the single-player genre where they excel. Helldivers 2 is the recent counter-example of this, which was equally praised for constant content push. Within three months, it sold almost 12 million copies, performing well beyond anyone's expectations.
Concord was indeed a costly lesson for Sony. However, it could also help them strategize their future live service plans or maintain the success they have found in single-player outings.