Concord, the new first-person hero shooter developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony, has had a bumpy road to release ever since its reveal a few months ago. Fans didn’t take kindly to another hero shooter in an oversaturated market, and the game didn’t do enough to justify its $40 price tag.
After eight years of development, including the last five years focused heavily on perfecting the game, the game was anticipated as a major entry into the live-service gaming market. Despite these high expectations, the game’s initial reception has been a mixed bag, especially when considering its Steam player count.
Concord’s Rocky Start Is Not a Good Sign
The game, which entered early access for deluxe edition owners on August 20, and fully launched on August 23, was expected by Sony to make a significant impact, particularly among fans of hero shooters.
Concord devs are cooked. 8 years development and can’t even crack 1K CCU on Steam. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/C5lu1Kdejj
— PMS Jordan (@PMS_Jordan) August 23, 2024
However, the reality has been somewhat underwhelming, with the peak concurrent player count on Steam reaching only 697 at the time of writing. This number is pretty low for a game of Concord’s scale and budget, and it falls short even compared to the game’s beta performance.
The game’s trailers and marketing, designed to pique interest, haven’t managed to draw in the crowds, leaving the game’s future in a dangerous and uncertain position, as a lot of studios in recent memory have gotten shut down pretty quickly even after a single misfire.
Concord’s launch struggles can be traced back to several factors, including its competition and market saturation. The hero shooter genre is already dominated by heavyweights like Overwatch 2 and Valorant, and the live-service genre is even more competitive with Fortnite, Apex, Warzone, and several other free to play games.
Concord, despite introducing new features like weekly cinematics, has found it difficult to stand out in this crowded space. The game has also faced criticisms regarding its character designs and writing, which many found to be generic and uninteresting, calling it a knockoff of Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Challenges and Road Ahead for Concord
The game’s performance on Steam might also not tell the whole story, as it’s important to consider its presence on PlayStation 5, where player numbers are not publicly available.
But even with potential hidden success on Sony’s platform, the low visibility and momentum on PC is pretty concerning.
Firewalk Studios has plans to launch its first post-launch season in October, featuring new content like a new Freegunner (Hero) and a new map. While this content roadmap shows the studio’s commitment to supporting the game long-term, it might not be enough to reverse the game’s slow start.
Comparisons to other live-service games like Helldivers 2, which saw unexpected success, raise further doubts about Concord’s ability to turn things around. Helldivers 2, despite modest expectations, managed to capture player interest and maintain a solid player base.
Concord, on the other hand, is facing a tough battle, and it’s hard to see a way in which the game could capture the same amount of success. The only logical way forward could be to make the game free to play.
Concord’s journey from development to launch has been anything but smooth. The game’s low player numbers on Steam are a significant red flag, especially for a first-party title from Sony.
Are you planning to pick up the game anytime soon? Let us know in the comments below.
