As of about 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET on September 6, Concord’s servers are formally closed. Sony’s troubled reside service recreation did not even final two weeks, failing to fill its beta and launching to a tragically low concurrent depend on Steam. In the end it’s estimated to have solely bought round 25,000 items, which is awfully low by first-party launch requirements.
Concord servers are actually offline.
Thanks once more to all of the Freegunners who’ve joined us within the Concord galaxy. pic.twitter.com/o1dTywrqUx
— Concord (@PlayConcord) September 6, 2024
On Bluesky, Circana govt director Mat Piscatella known as Concord’s shutdown “unprecedented,” nothing that even Anthem was the best-selling recreation of February 2019 and remains to be playable as we speak. Requested the way it compares to the likes of The Day Earlier than and Crucible, two different video games that have been shuttered quickly after launch, Piscatella mentioned that this “one reads in another way to me than something that is come earlier than,” describing it as being “soundly rejected” by gamers.
It makes Concord one of the vital exceptional information tales of the yr — a primary get together launch that in the end by no means had an opportunity.
Does Concord have a future as a free-to-play recreation?
Nonetheless, no less than some followers are questioning if there is a future for Sony’s shooter. May Concord work as a free-to-play recreation? That is been one of many predominant questions on platforms like X/Twitter and Resetera as followers debate the trail forward for Sony. Even earlier than Concord shut down, Forbes author Paul Tassi known as its transition to free-to-play “inevitable,” although puzzled if it will change issues.
There are definitely loads of sticking factors. The roster failed to resonate with followers, and the artwork fashion and writing has variously been described as a form of off-brand Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s additionally little by way of innovation to differentiate Concord from different hero shooters. In a market flooded with reside service video games, success is more and more a zero sum recreation, and Concord was on the fallacious facet of the divide.
However, we discovered factors to like about Concord. In our overview, we described the aggressive gameplay as “improbable” and praised its map design. In its closing days, a group of trophy hunters made a final second sprint to attempt to seize what is going to quickly be certainly one of PlayStation’s rarest Platinums, even going to this point as to throw themselves off cliffs to grind XP.
So will it return? One Resetera consumer opines. “I am guessing it will in all probability find yourself going F2P after which quietly shuttered if it does not discover an viewers rapidly. Doing that is going to be a hell of a process although as the sport was designed round progress not being monetised. I really feel horrible for Firewalk, all that point invested into what’s apparently a reasonably first rate recreation to have this occur straight after launch. I’ve a horrible feeling that there is going to be some layoffs coming quickly.”
Piscatella, for his half, is unsure. “On the one hand, the sport and the IP have been simply so soundly rejected of it that one might imagine it unsalvageable. Then again, so few know concerning the recreation that maybe it may be introduced again with a distinct mannequin and a big refresh. I feel that is an unprecedented state of affairs, with all choices on the desk, so anybody’s guess might be as good as mine.”
What’s subsequent for Sony
For what it is price, Concord is not fully completed. As we reported yesterday, Concord remains to be set to seem in Secret Stage, the upcoming Prime Video anthology sequence by Tim Miller that additionally options the likes of God of Battle, Mega Man, and Warhammer 40K. Whereas it appears unlikely that it’ll re-ignite curiosity within the property, it does characterize no less than one spark of life for the franchise.
The way forward for Firewalk Studios, for its half, is unclear. The studio behind Concord was established as a part of ProbablyMonsters in 2018 and purchased by PlayStation in 2023. Design director Josh Hamrick tweeted throughout the week, thanking followers and signing off when the servers went down with “FREEGUNNER FOR LIFE.”
At one level he wrote wistfully, “I began at Firewalk within the Spring of 2019. We have been lower than a dozen devs working shoulder to shoulder in a good friend’s attic.”
Sony, in the meantime, has extra free-to-play video games on the way in which, together with Fairgame$ and Bungie’s Marathon. Marathon has already had its share of issues, at one level being compelled to change its director amid layoffs and different issues. Little has been proven of Fairgame$ exterior of a CG trailer, however GI.biz’s Chris Dring lately mentioned that he is been listening to optimistic buzz concerning the recreation. One approach or one other, the way forward for Sony’s reside service technique is unsure, although PlayStation can declare no less than one victory thanks to the success of Helldivers 2 within the first a part of the yr (although it has additionally struggled of late).
For now, Sony can take consolation in Astro Bot, which is each single-player and receiving rave opinions. As for whether or not Concord will ever get one other likelihood of its personal, we’ll simply have to see.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s Information Director as properly as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Ship her a DM at @the_katbot.