Only two weeks after launch, PlayStation made the shocking decision to shut down Concord. Firewalk Studios’ much-derided hero shooter had a disastrous launch, one that analysts estimated only 25,000 players picked up, according to IGN. In a PlayStation Blog post, game director Ryan Ellis was transparent about the fact that “aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended” and that Firewalk will shut the game down on September 6 to “explore options, including those that will better reach our players.”
It’s possible that Concord will never return, or that it will become the video game industry’s next comeback story. I didn’t like what I played of Concord during its beta, but I understand that some players see the potential of this first-person shooter that found a middle ground between Destiny and Overwatch. There are steps Firewalk can take to give Concord a second chance at life, even if its fate is ultimately in the hands of players if it ever comes back.
I echo my colleague Giovanni Colantonio wrote about the failure of Concord shortly after its release: We can critique its lack of original ideas and premium release model, but generally, apathy was Concord’s greatest enemy. If Firewalk and Sony want people to care about Concord, overcoming that apathy will be the greatest challenge in giving Concord a second wind.
Is a comeback possible?
So, what does the path to rehabilitating Concord look like? There are no easy answers, especially with a game that was functionally dead on arrival. Still, history shows us that it can be done. So where could Sony make an impact?
Most crucially, Concord needs a better sales pitch. It was billed as a sci-fi hero shooter with weekly cutscenes, but that wasn’t appealing enough. Why should players care about Concord? That’s something Sony has struggled to get across, but it needs a better answer. If Firewalk wants to emphasize its characters and narrative, those need to be a priority rather than slow dripped out in weekly cutscenes. Character designs could use improving, and the premise of why these Freegunners are fighting each other needs to make more sense.
If Firewalk believes that gameplay is king, then Concord need a stronger hook like a defining mode. The hero shooter market is oversaturated at this point, so whenever it comes back, we’ll need a reason to pick Concord over the likes of Overwatch 2 or Marvel Rivals. Then, there’s the matter of how Sony releases it, as even Ellis admits the game needs a way to “better reach” players. While we can debate whether the $40 price tag played a part in Concord’s failure, the resounding feedback that it should have been a free-to-play game should make the best direction for a Concord re-launch clear.
On top of that, PlayStation may want to consider expanding the number of platforms Concord is on or offering it via services like PlayStation Plus. That’s its best chance at reaching the greatest number of players possible if that’s a priority. It also needs to make good on those who bought the game at launch to salvage good will. Sony is already doing that with full refunds, but some sort of bonus at the relaunch for returning players wouldn’t hurt as a peace offering.
There’s a much bigger problem that’s more challenging to solve: Sony needs to change the social narrative around Concord. While its release has given PlayStation a ton of bad PR, a re-release could have the potential to be more successful than its original release because the video game industry loves a good comeback story. Games like Final Fantasy XIV, No Man’s Sky, and Cyberpunk 2077 recovered from rocky releases with relaunches that won back players who thought they were lost causes. While doing the same with Concord will require a lot of follow-through and Firewalk, the studio will earn sympathy from players who felt that their eight years of work was mishandled by Sony. You can see the early markings of an underdog tale in pockets of the public response to the shutdown news.
The disastrous launch of Concord has done more for its notoriety than any pre-release marketing, and people will be paying attention to where it goes next. Its cameo in Amazon’s upcoming Secret Level show could do more to drum up mainstream attention for the IP as well, so long as it isn’t cut. Sony needs to keep people in the loop about where Concord’s going, what it’s changing, and when we can expect it to reemerge. If killing Concord permanently is the right thing to do, so be it, but if Sony and Firewalk are truly committed to a relaunch, then they can’t repeat the past. It’s time to adapt or die.
