Concord, the latest hero shooter from Firewalk Studios and published by Sony, was finally released today, but the excitement has been short-lived for many fans. Instead of diving into the game’s mechanics and features, one developer’s unusual behavior on social media has taken center stage.
The game itself didn’t exactly set the world on fire during its beta phase, with player numbers that were less than stellar. But now, a behavior from one of the developers has sparked a new round of controversy.
A Developer’s Unusual Response to Feedback
The issue began when a developer was found to be responding to feedback and criticism with a cheeky yet somewhat off-putting message: “pay me 8$ to unhide your tweet.”
This response has left players equal parts baffled and entertained, acknowledging the developer’s somewhat unorthodox approach to “addressing” criticism:
Yes, this is in fact…one of Concord’s devs responding to feedback and criticism. pic.twitter.com/Mvw67eMaSL
— Perma Banned (@GiveMeBanHammer) August 24, 2024
The center of the controversy is Xander Farrell, who goes by “Freegunner M #4443” on X. Farrell, an animator who worked on Concord but has since moved on to PUBG Studios, has been at the forefront of this debacle.
Many people have interpreted their response as a form of taunting, particularly directed at users who have paid for the blue check on their X profiles:
It's a bot they set up to autohide then respond that to a blue check. It's very sad
— ⚡️Nerd 📛 (@NerdAthleticz) August 24, 2024
Naturally, this behavior is being seen as somewhat immature and unprofessional, particularly given the context of users trying to provide feedback on a game that Farrell had a hand in developing. It’s not exactly the kind of engagement you’d expect from a game developer, especially one associated with a major Sony title like Concord.
Concord’s Struggles Post-Launch
But the controversy surrounding Farrell’s conduct is only the tip of the iceberg. Concord itself appears to be struggling to gain traction with players. Despite its release today, the game has failed to break the 1000-player count mark, peaking at a mere 660 players at the time of writing.
This lackluster performance has called into question the game’s overall viability. While it’s too early to declare Concord a failure, the current numbers are certainly not encouraging:
I REALLY thought they'd hit 1k easy but no, that was far, far too much to expect. pic.twitter.com/hBoUvdN2oY
— Soranos (@SoranosTerreant) August 24, 2024
Players are beginning to question Firewalk Studios‘ confidence in their hero shooter, especially given Farrel’s drastic measures to address criticism:
Man they really don't have any faith in that game if they're trying to recoup costs like this
— miguel ruiz (@miguelr98370144) August 24, 2024
The sentiment in the community is clear—despite high hopes for the game’s success, the early numbers tell a different story. It remains to be seen whether more FPS fans will give Concord a try over the weekend, hopefully boosting its player count.
However, for the time being, the game’s slow start and the developer’s unusual social media behavior have cast a shadow over what was supposed to be an exciting launch.
What do you think about the situation with Concord and the developer’s response to feedback? Are you still interested in giving the game a try? Let us know in the comments below!
