Concord (video game)

Last updated

Concord
Concord key art.png
Developer(s) Firewalk Studios
Publisher(s) Sony Interactive Entertainment
Director(s) Ryan Ellis
Composer(s) Daniel Pemberton
Engine Unreal Engine 5 [1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseAugust 23, 2024
Genre(s) Hero shooter
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Concord was a multiplayer first-person hero shooter game developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on August 23, 2024. Set in a retro-futuristic sci-fi world inhabited by coexisting humans and humanoid aliens, it revolved around battles between teams of competing mercenaries.

Contents

Developed over eight years and on a reported US$400 million budget, the game was intended as a tentpole title by Sony, who believed it would eventually expand into a Star Wars -level franchise with numerous spinoffs.

Concord released to mixed reviews from critics. It experienced unprecedentedly low sales for a project of its size, and was shut down on September 6, 2024, two weeks after its launch, with all sold copies being refunded. On October 29, Sony announced the closure of Firewalk Studios and the permanent halting of the game's development.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot of Concord. The map's capture points are depicted at the top-center of the screen. Concord gameplay screenshot.png
Gameplay screenshot of Concord. The map's capture points are depicted at the top-center of the screen.

Concord was a sci-fi player-versus-player hero shooter video game played from a first-person perspective. [2] The game featured a variety of alien characters, each with different abilities, such as robot legs for high jumps and diamond skin for enhanced damage absorption. One of the groups within the game was known as the Freegunners, who were mercenaries. [3]

The initial preview revealed five characters, and the game released with sixteen characters. [4] The game was expected to have free post-launch updates that would have added more characters and maps. [3] The game would have featured new cutscenes about the characters and the ongoing story every week. [5]

Development and release

Concord was the only game developed by Firewalk Studios, a studio located in Bellevue, Washington, and founded in 2018. Firewalk initially developed Concord in collaboration with its parent company, ProbablyMonsters, until the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in April 2023. [6]

Firewalk Studios officially announced Concord during the PlayStation Showcase on May 24, 2023, with a CGI trailer. [7] A beta for the game was released in July 2024 to underwhelming player numbers. The game was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on August 23, 2024. [8] [9]

Firewalk Studios reported that the game was in development for around eight years. [10] According to video game podcast host Colin Moriarty, citing an unnamed Concord developer, the game had a budget of $400 million, although this figure was disputed by several PlayStation developers on social media. [11] [12] [13] Moriarty said the game had been intended as a tentpole title by Sony, who believed it would eventually expand into a major franchise akin to Star Wars . An internal culture of workplace toxic positivity and a belief that it was impossible for the game to fail caused critical feedback to go ignored. [11] [12] [13]

Reception

Critical response

Concord received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic, based on 45 reviews for the PlayStation 5 and 20 reviews for PC. [14] [15] On OpenCritic, the game is recommended by 22% of 62 critic reviews. [16]

Push Square rated it seven out of ten, and wrote: "Firewalk's debut may not be out of this world, but it's genuinely pretty good overall." [24] Digital Trends rated it three out of five, and wrote: "Concord has the bones of a fun multiplayer game, but it's missing the meat." [17] Video Games Chronicle rated it three out of five, and was critical of the $40 price, advising players to wait until the game was available on PlayStation Plus. [26] Eurogamer rated it three out of five, attributing the rating to the heroes' "muddled" character design, writing: "The heroes seem to be visually either under or overdesigned". [18] Nova Smith of PC Gamer rated Concord 45 out of 100, describing it as "underbaked, overpriced, and dated" while criticizing the game for its "agonizingly slow movement speed", uninspired map design and "forgettable" cast of characters. [22]

Sales

Upon release, the game was a commercial failure that failed to exceed 700 simultaneous players on the Steam platform, far lower than the 400,000 initial Steam players of a different first-party live service multiplayer game released by Sony on PC and PS5 the same year, Helldivers 2 . PCGamesN attributed its poor sales to a combination of a lack of uniqueness and a high price while competing in a heavily saturated market dominated by free-to-play games like Overwatch 2 and Valorant . [27]

One week after launch, the game ranked 40th on the PlayStation Store in terms of sales, with a player count on Steam measured at 162 on August 29. [28] It was estimated that less than a week after release, the game had sold a total of around 25,000 units, with sales of 10,000 on Steam and 15,000 on PlayStation. [29]

Shutdown

On September 3, Sony announced that Concord would be taken offline and that all copies of the game that had been sold up to that point would be refunded, citing that "aspects of the game and our initial launch didn't land the way we'd intended" and that they would "explore options, including those that will better reach our players". The game was delisted from digital storefronts, [30] and the game's servers went offline just after 17:00 (UTC) on September 6, 2024. [31]

The swift shutdown was attributed to several factors, including Concord's failure to differentiate itself from established hero shooter games like Overwatch and Apex Legends , its lack of innovative gameplay mechanics, its generic character roster, and its poor map design. [32] The game also faced criticism for being a full-priced release in a genre where most competitors are free-to-play, as well as its eight-year development cycle making it feel outdated upon release, with it struggling to align with evolving market trends and player expectations. [33]

Due to the commercial failure of the game, its game director Ryan Ellis announced to Firewalk's staff that he would be stepping down from his game director role and move into a support role instead. [34]

In October 2024, Sony shut down the game permanently and closed Firewalk Studios. [35] This would make Concord the second shortest-living online game, eclipsed only by the 8-day service life of The Culling II . [36] [37]

The game was adapted as an episode of the upcoming video game anthology series Secret Level . [38] [39] Despite the game's shutdown, its episode will remain in the series. [40]

The game was also inducted into the "digital disasters" exhibit of the Museum of Failure. [41]

Related Research Articles

Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and part of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is most known for developing several early PlayStation mascots, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, as well as the Resistance franchise, 2014's Sunset Overdrive and the Marvel's Spider-Man series with Marvel Games. In 2019, the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment, becoming a part of SIE Worldwide Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Interactive Entertainment</span> Sonys video game division

Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is a Japanese-American video game and digital entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game consoles and products. It is also the world's largest company in the video game industry based on its equity investments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guerrilla Games</span> Dutch video game developer

Guerrilla B.V. is a Dutch first-party video game developer based in Amsterdam and part of PlayStation Studios. The company was founded as Lost Boys Games in January 2000 through the merger of three smaller development studios as a subsidiary of multimedia conglomerate company Lost Boys. Lost Boys Games became independent the following year and was acquired by Media Republic in 2003, renaming the studio to Guerrilla Games before being purchased by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2005. As of June 2021, the company employs 360 people under the leadership of joint studio directors Jan-Bart van Beek, Joel Eschler and Hella Schmidt. It is best known for the Killzone and Horizon game series.

<i>Warhawk</i> (2007 video game) 2007 video game

Warhawk was a 2007 online multiplayer third-person shooter video game developed by Incognito Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It was intended to be a remake of an aerial warfare game of the same name, which was an early title on the original PlayStation. It was the first PlayStation 3 game to be available both physically and digitally on the PlayStation Network.

<i>Blast Factor</i> 2006 video game

Blast Factor is a shooter video game developed by Bluepoint Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. One of the first games to be released only on the PlayStation Network, it is the first game developed by Bluepoint Games and the only game that is not a remaster, remake or port of a previously developed game. Sony, whose Santa Monica Studio assisted on development, began a close relationship with Bluepoint Games, which culminated in Bluepoint being purchased by Sony and integrated as part of PlayStation Studios.

<i>Section 8</i> (video game) 2009 first-person shooter video game

Section 8 is a first-person shooter video game developed by TimeGate Studios and published by SouthPeak Games. It utilizes the Unreal Engine 3 and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in September 2009 for Xbox 360 and PC, and for the PlayStation 3 on March 25 in North America and April 15, 2010, in the PAL region.

God of War is an action-adventure game franchise created by David Jaffe and developed by Sony's Santa Monica Studio. It began in 2005 on the PlayStation 2 (PS2) video game console and has become a flagship series for PlayStation, consisting of nine installments across multiple platforms. Based on ancient mythologies, the series' plot follows Kratos, a Spartan warrior who becomes the God of War and comes into conflict with various mythological pantheons. The earlier games in the series are based on Greek mythology and see Kratos follow a path of vengeance against the Olympian gods; the later games are based on Norse mythology and see Kratos on a path of redemption while also introducing his son Atreus as a secondary protagonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation Studios</span> Group of video game developers owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment

PlayStation Studios is a division of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) that oversees the video game development at the studios owned by SIE. The division was established as SCE Worldwide Studios in September 2005 and rebranded as PlayStation Studios in 2020.

<i>Verdun</i> (video game) 2015 first-person shooter video game

Verdun is a squad-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game set during World War I. It was released on 28 April 2015 on Steam, after more than a year in Steam Early Access. The console versions for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were released between August 2016 and June 2021.

<i>The Last of Us Part I</i> 2022 video game

The Last of Us Part I is a 2022 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. A remake of the 2013 game The Last of Us, it features revised gameplay, including enhanced combat and exploration, and expanded accessibility options. Players control Joel, who is tasked with escorting the young Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States and defend her against cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus. The game includes a remake of the 2014 expansion pack The Last of Us: Left Behind, which follows Ellie and her best friend Riley. The original game's online multiplayer mode is omitted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PlayStation 5</span> Sonys fifth home video game console

The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North America, and South Korea, and was released worldwide a week later. The PS5 is part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, along with Microsoft's Xbox Series X/S consoles, which were released in the same month.

<i>Sackboy: A Big Adventure</i> 2020 video game

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a 2020 platform game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. A spin-off of the LittleBigPlanet series, it follows Sackboy, and features 3D platforming as opposed to 2.5D in previous entries. It was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in November 2020 and Windows in October 2022.

<i>Returnal</i> 2021 video game

Returnal is a 2021 roguelike third-person shooter video game developed by Housemarque and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game was released for the PlayStation 5 on 30 April 2021 and for Windows on 15 February 2023. It follows Selene Vassos, an astronaut who lands on the planet Atropos in search of the mysterious "White Shadow" signal and finds herself trapped in a time loop.

<i>Black Myth: Wukong</i> 2024 video game

Black Myth: Wukong is a 2024 action role-playing game developed and published by Game Science. The game is inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West and follows an anthropomorphic monkey based on Sun Wukong from the novel.

<i>Spider-Man</i> (video game series) Video game series developed by Insomniac Games

Marvel's Spider-Man is a series of superhero action-adventure video games developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) for PlayStation consoles and Windows. Based on characters appearing in Marvel Comics publications, the games are inspired by the long-running comic book lore, while additionally deriving from various adaptations in other media. The series principally follows protagonists Peter Parker and Miles Morales who fight crime in New York City as dual bearers of the eponymous superhero persona while dealing with the complications of their civilian lives.

The Last of Us is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by cannibalistic humans infected by a mutated fungus in the genus Cordyceps. It follows several survivors, including Joel, a smuggler who lost his daughter during the outbreak; Ellie, a young girl who is immune to the infection; and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. The games use a third-person perspective in which the player fights against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures with firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth.

<i>Isonzo</i> (video game) 2022 video game

Isonzo is a first-person shooter video game. It is a team-based multiplayer game set on the Italian Front during World War I. It was released on Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on September 13, 2022. It is the sequel to Verdun and Tannenberg.

<i>Helldivers 2</i> 2024 video game

Helldivers 2 is a 2024 cooperative third-person shooter game developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game is the direct sequel to Helldivers, a 2015 top-down shooter. It was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on 8 February 2024.

<i>Lego Horizon Adventures</i> 2024 video game

Lego Horizon Adventures is a 2024 action-adventure game developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo in association with The Lego Group, and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. As a spin-off entry in the Horizon series, the game reinterprets the events in Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) in a Lego-themed environment.

References

  1. ↑ Morgan, Thomas (July 17, 2024). "Concord: Guardians of the Galaxy meets a next-gen Overwatch?". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  2. ↑ Dinsdale, Ryan (May 30, 2024). "Concord Gets New Cinematic and Gameplay Trailer, and a Release Date - State of Play 2024". IGN . Archived from the original on August 9, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Yang, George (May 30, 2024). "PlayStation's Concord is coming to both PS5 and PC this August". Digital Trends . Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  4. ↑ Gurwin, Gabe; Carr, James (May 30, 2024). "New Sony Game Concord's Debut Trailer Gives Off Big Guardians Of The Galaxy Energy, Beta And Date Confirmed". GameSpot . Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  5. ↑ Middler, Jordan (June 27, 2024). "First Look: PlayStation's Concord is Breaking New Ground in How Live Service Games Tell Stories". Video Games Chronicle . Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  6. ↑ Peters, Jay (April 20, 2023). "PlayStation acquires Firewalk Studios, which is building an 'original AAA multiplayer game'". The Verge . Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  7. ↑ Ellis, Ryan (May 24, 2023). "Introducing Concord—a new PVP multiplayer FPS from Firewalk Studios coming to PS5 and PC". PlayStation.Blog . Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  8. ↑ Gach, Ethan (May 30, 2024). "Our First Look At Concord, PlayStation's Guardians Of The Galaxy-Infused Hero Shooter". Kotaku . Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  9. ↑ Ramsay, Robert (July 18, 2024). "There's Already Concern Over Concord's Player Count as Open Beta Begins". Push Square . Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  10. ↑ Warren, Tom (September 3, 2024). "Sony is taking Concord offline on September 6th after disastrous launch". The Verge . Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Blake, Vikki (September 21, 2024). "Concord reportedly cost £300m [$400m] to make amid a culture of 'toxic positivity'". Eurogamer . Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  12. 1 2 Parijat, Shubhankar (September 20, 2024). "Concord Had a Budget of Around $400 Million – Rumour". GamingBolt. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  13. 1 2 Middler, Jordan (September 20, 2024). "Sony's Concord reportedly cost $400M to develop". Video Games Chronicle . Retrieved November 16, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. 1 2 "Concord for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on September 5, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Concord for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  16. 1 2 "Concord Reviews". OpenCritic . August 27, 2024. Archived from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  17. 1 2 Colantonio, Giovanni (August 23, 2024). "Concord review: Promising PS5 shooter is lost in space for now". Digital Trends . Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  18. 1 2 Lane, Rick (August 27, 2024). "Concord review - a hero shooter that nails the shooting, but fumbles the heroes". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on August 30, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  19. ↑ Tyrer, Ben (August 28, 2024). "Concord review: "Plenty of characters and little personality"". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  20. ↑ Dunsmore, Kevin (August 27, 2024). "Review: Concord". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  21. ↑ Northup, Travis (August 27, 2024). "Concord Review". IGN . Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  22. 1 2 Smith, Nova (August 28, 2024). "Concord review". pcgamer. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  23. ↑ Cuevas, Zackery (September 1, 2024). "Concord (for PlayStation 5) Review". PCMag . Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  24. 1 2 Barker, Sammy (August 24, 2024). "Concord Review (PS5)". Push Square . Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  25. ↑ Erskine, Donovan (August 30, 2024). "Concord review: An expedition to find the next big thing". Shacknews . Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  26. 1 2 Middler, Jordan (August 24, 2024). "Review: Concord is a good shooter divorced from the reality of its genre". Video Games Chronicle . Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  27. ↑ Nelson, Will (August 24, 2024). "Concord can't even reach 1,000 Steam players at launch, and here's why". PCGamesN . Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  28. ↑ Swan, Cameron (August 29, 2024). "What to Expect from Concord's Post-Launch Support". Game Rant. Archived from the original on September 6, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  29. ↑ Valentine, Rebekah (August 30, 2024). "Concord Is Estimated to Have Sold Only 25,000 Units. Here's Why Analysts Think It's Failing". IGN. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  30. ↑ Dinsdale, Ryan (September 3, 2024). "Concord Is Suddenly Getting Pulled Offline With Sony Promising Full Refunds". IGN. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  31. ↑ Carpenter, Lincoln (September 6, 2024). "Streamers captured Concord's final moments as the servers went offline: 'What a huge f***ing honor'". PC Gamer . Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  32. ↑ Webster, Andrew (September 4, 2024). "Concord was worse than bad — it was forgettable". The Verge. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  33. ↑ Kim, Matt (August 29, 2024). "Why Concord Failed". IGN. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  34. ↑ Gach, Ethan (September 19, 2024). "Concord Director Steps Down As Studio Behind Historic PlayStation Flop Waits For Sony's Decision". Kotaku . G/O Media . Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  35. ↑ Warren, Tom (October 29, 2024). "Sony closes Concord studio and permanently shuts down the game". The Verge . Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  36. ↑ Zwiezen, Zack (September 5, 2024). "These 9 Live-Service Games Launched And Died In Record Time: #2 - Concord". Kotaku. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  37. ↑ Zwiezen, Zack (September 5, 2024). "These 9 Live-Service Games Launched And Died In Record Time: #1 - The Culling 2". Kotaku. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  38. ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (August 21, 2024). "Secret Level: Every Video Game In The New Gamescom Trailer". IGN . Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024. it's already getting an animated spinoff thanks to Secret Level.
  39. ↑ Washenko, Anna (August 20, 2024). "Animated video game anthology series Secret Level is coming to Prime Video". Engadget . Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  40. ↑ Bailey, Kat (September 5, 2024). "Concord Will Remain in Prime Video's Secret Level Despite Game's Sudden Cancellation - Source". IGN. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  41. ↑ "Concord". Museum of Failure. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.