Concord Goes Offline as Sony Acknowledges Launch Misfire

It looks like the space-faring adventures in Concord are coming to an abrupt halt. The 5v5 multiplayer first-person shooter, reminiscent of Guardians of the Galaxy with its colorful cast of characters, will be taken offline on September 6th. Sony is offering full refunds to those who purchased the game, and it’s already been removed from storefronts. This decision comes just shy of three weeks after Concord’s launch, with Sony admitting that it "didn't land the way we'd intended."

Firewalk Studios, the developers behind Concord, expressed their gratitude to those who supported the game, but their recent announcement acknowledged the missteps in its release. "While many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended," they stated. "Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players."

Concord was first revealed at a PlayStation showcase last year, but it didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Katharine from RPS immediately pegged it as yet another uninspired hero shooter, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. Even as someone who loves FPS games and has spent countless hours in Overwatch, I never felt compelled to dive into Concord. It seemed like another entry in an oversaturated market that didn’t offer anything new.

Now, Firewalk Studios is left with the task of rethinking their approach. My guess is that we’ll see Concord return as a free-to-play title or at least at a significantly reduced price, given its initial £40 price tag. It’s hard to imagine them reworking the game into a co-op PvE experience, especially since there’s no PvE element to begin with. The real question is how they’ll adjust the game’s monetization strategy to make it more appealing.

But Concord has an uphill battle ahead. With Valve’s not-so-secret shooter/MOBA Deadlock gaining popularity and the impending release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 looming large, the competition is fierce. Can Concord pull off a comeback that draws players away from the live service games they’re already invested in? Only time will tell.