Concord Game: A Story of Wasted Potential in Esports

PlayStation can be seen as prestige among many players in the gaming industry today, and it cannot be denied that there were indeed high expectations for Concord when it initially launched in the video game atmosphere. Now that it has shut down, why do many people see this incident as a learning note for many developers and publishers to consider in the competitive esports scene?

Why Concord Has Shut Down?

In case you missed the buzz last week, PlayStation released a blog concerning the feedback from players, critics, and fans about the launch of Concord on both PS5 and PC, stating that they will take the game offline starting September 6th and explore various options to reach out to their players. It was also stated that PlayStation would refund all gamers who purchased the game and other transactions made in its launch over the span of two weeks.

Concord launched back on August 23rd and did not even last a month after failing to meet sales expectations. The game tallied an all-time peak of 697 players on Steam – which is lower than the launch of the so-called worst game of 2023, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. The estimated sales did not reach more than 25,000 copies, which proved to be a pivotal factor in considering a game’s success overall.

Concord has shut down last week image

“We have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players,” says Concord game director Ryan Ellis in a PlayStation blog post. “While we determine the best path ahead, Concord sales will cease immediately and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC.”

This massive flop for a potential esports title was seen as the worst disaster among video games in the modern era. To have the developers pull the plug on a game that was said to be eight years in the making is such a disappointing note, and while PlayStation has a wide variety of titles on the play, it is easy to say that this will go down as one of the worst entertainment launches of all-time.

What Went Wrong for Concord?

So what went wrong for one of the hyped titles of 2024 in the multiplayer hero shooter genre? If you asked a lot of experts, you’ll hear a lot of different reasons that played a huge role in the game’s downfall. Ultimately, there are at least three huge factors that proved to be crucial in the game’s failed launch right from the start and the eventual shut down just almost two weeks after its release.

Let’s discuss what went wrong with Firewalk Studios’ competitive shooter game:

Expensive Price for a Shooter Game

Concord had a hefty price tag at $40 image

Many people believe that Concord’s launch was doomed to fail right from the start, and that’s because of its expensive price tag. It is easy to say that many competitive esports today have transitioned into being a free-to-play game in just a whim, but perhaps Concord tried to push its luck in hoping that it can come up with a hefty cost for players simply because they delivered a CGI trailer and is attached to the PlayStation brand itself. Of course, the promise of freebies for players along with a few microtransactions did not sit well with many players. While the beta test of the game drew 2,300 players, not many gamers saw it as a title worth paying $40 for. There are a lot of different options in the gaming scene – better games that have been proven and tested for months and even years that come free – compared to Concord’s costly price.

Poor Gameplay Overall

Games that did not have proper unique selling points usually don’t last long, and Concord fell victim to that notion at the very least. The game attempts to bring a sci-fi vibe of the 1970s, but it spectacularly fails to do so. To be fair, the game is just a knock-off version of known competitive titles such as Overwatch, Fortnite, PUBG, and many other successful Battle Royale Games. Concord, however, does not offer the same vibe that it has – especially with its character design – receiving a massive backlash from players with the game trying to be a little bit woke at the very least with its pronouns in character bios.

Drowned Out by Competition

Concord simply did not live up to the standards image

Continuing a similar point from the previous factor, Concord was simply drowned out by its competition. There are a lot of known games in the hero shooter genre, and the likes of Overwatch, Fortnite, and PUBG all have offered different features that make them stand out among other games of the same genre. Overwatch introduced the hero-shooter format of the FPS games, while Fortnite added a building system that changed the dynamic of the competitive scene, and of course, PUBG is PUBG, enough said. Concord, on the other hand, failed to offer unique features that could have helped them stand out amongst hero shooter titles in the long run.

Lack of Originality

The characters in Concord felt like a copied homework from various games like Overwatch, Valorant, and Destiny 2 – making it look like a knock-off version of Guardians of the Galaxy in a way. It can’t be helped considering that most of Concord’s designers were from Bungie – who worked on Destiny 2. This led to similar looks in the game that proved to be quite bothering for long-time players in the competitive scene, with Concord failing to come up with something special amidst its hyped release and promise of various updates from time to time.

Learning Harsh Lessons

At this point, nothing can save Concord in the long run. Sure, PlayStation has already opted to pull the plug on the game, but not even making a free-to-play game can recuperate for the poor reviews and losses that they’ve had. Imagine a game eight years in the making just to last less than two weeks in the market, now that’s a tough blow. Had it been a different company than PlayStation, that company would have already closed down due to bankruptcy.

But this serves as a learning point for many developers and publishers in the industry to not make the same mistakes as PlayStation and Firewalk Studios did.

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