Concord Was Short-Lived, But Not The Shortest-Lived

Concord's servers went dark swiftly after a lackluster launch. Let's delve into the reasons behind this rapid closure.

Firewalk Studios' Hero Shooter Concord Fails to Take Flight, Shutting Down Two Weeks Post-Launch

A Lack of Hype Leads to a Quick Demise

Firewalk Studios' 5v5 hero shooter, Concord, is ceasing operations just two weeks after its release. Game Director Ryan Ellis announced the shutdown on September 3rd, 2024, via the PlayStation Blog, attributing the decision to the game's failure to meet expectations.

Ellis stated that while certain aspects resonated with players, others fell short of their intended impact. Consequently, the game's servers were taken offline on September 6th, 2024. Digital purchases on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the PlayStation Store will receive automatic refunds; physical copies should be returned according to the retailer's return policy.

Initially, Firewalk and Sony envisioned a much grander future for Concord. Sony's acquisition of Firewalk, driven by confidence in the studio's potential, appeared promising, particularly given the positive outlook from Ellis and Firewalk's studio head, Tony Hsu. Concord was even slated for an episode in the upcoming Prime Video anthology series, Secret Level. An ambitious post-launch roadmap, including a Season 1 launch in October and weekly cutscenes, was also outlined.

However, the game's poor performance necessitated a drastic revision of these plans. Only three cutscenes were released—two from the beta and one shortly before the shutdown announcement—leaving the future of the characters' story uncertain.

The Factors Behind Concord's Downfall

Concord's decline was evident from the outset. Despite an eight-year development period, the game struggled to attract a substantial player base, peaking at a mere 697 concurrent players. At the time of writing, the player count is down to a meager 45 (excluding PlayStation 5 users). This starkly contrasts with its beta peak of 2,388 players, falling far short of expectations for a Sony-published AAA title.

Several factors contributed to Concord's failure. Analyst Daniel Ahmad noted that while the gameplay was solid and the game was "content complete," it lacked a unique selling point, offering little reason for players to choose it over established competitors. He cited uninspired character designs and a lack of innovation, describing the game as feeling "stuck in the OW1 era."

The game's $40 price tag also proved to be a significant hurdle, placing it at a disadvantage against popular free-to-play alternatives such as Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends, and Valorant. Coupled with minimal marketing, the lack of player interest is unsurprising.

Ellis' statement indicated that Firewalk Studios will explore future options, potentially targeting player reach more effectively. A revival is not entirely impossible. The recent resurgence of Gigantic, a MOBA hero shooter, demonstrates that discontinued games can find new life. After a six-year hiatus, Gigantic's transition to a buy-to-play model proved successful.

While some propose making Concord free-to-play, mirroring Square Enix's Foamstars, this alone wouldn't address the core issues of bland character designs and sluggish gameplay. A comprehensive overhaul, similar to the successful revitalization of Final Fantasy XIV, is likely needed for a potential comeback.

Game8 awarded Concord a score of 56 out of 100, highlighting the irony of eight years of development resulting in a visually appealing yet ultimately lifeless game. For a more detailed perspective, read our full review (link to review).