Concords Short-Lived Galaxy: A Promising Hero-Shooter Launched to Failure Amidst Corporate Missteps

It’s regrettable yet unavoidable that discussing Concord at this moment resembles writing its obituary. With eight years of development, reportedly costing over $100 million, this first-person hero-shooter from Sony’s Firewalk Studios launched on PlayStation 5 and PC on August 23. However, just two weeks later, it has vanished. As a live-service game, it had promised a roadmap of content updates across multiple seasons, but it barely survived past the summer. Following a disastrous launch, with estimates of 25,000 copies sold across PS5 and PC, and a peak player count of less than 700 on Steam, Sony has likely chosen to limit its losses and terminate the game’s service. On Wednesday, Firewalk announced that Concord would cease operation on September 6 and stop all sales, offering refunds to players who had previously bought it.

In their statement, the developer mentioned they would “explore alternatives, including those that might better engage our players,” hinting that Concord, which is strictly multiplayer and debuted at a perplexing price of $40, could eventually be reintroduced as a free-to-play title. Regardless of the game’s future, Concord is now recognized as one of the most significant failures in gaming history. While its untimely end took many by surprise, the signs of an impending disaster were evident long before.

But can we deem Concord so profoundly flawed that it should have met its end in just two weeks, as if it were a fleeting film destined for a digital release? Is it truly so awful that only 33 players — thirty-three! — are engaging with it on Steam, just one day prior to its shutdown? Certainly not. In fact, it’s a competent first-person hero-shooter, quite reminiscent of Overwatch, even if it fails to carve out a distinct identity. The responsibility for its downfall lies not primarily with the developers but with those who orchestrated its financial strategy, managed its extended and costly development, and overlooked the straightforward signs cautioning against a $40 live-service shooter facing fierce competition from entrenched free-to-play games that outperform Concord.

Also seeSony is Taking Concord Offline, Issuing Refunds After Poor Sales

Concord is adequate. And possibly that’s the concern — it’s merely adequate. It has echoes of Overwatch but arrives eight years behind the curve. There’s no real narrative or campaign, unlike Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League; it’s simply a PvP hero-shooter characterized by an uninspired and repetitive essence that feels reminiscent of previous games. However, it isn’t broken or unplayable; indeed, it can be enjoyable if you team up with friends. Yet the value presented here hardly justifies the asking price, particularly in 2024, a time when players have myriad free-to-play options that provide far more engaging experiences.

Concord kicks off with a lengthy cutscene that serves as a feeble but standard initiative to give some narrative context to the game before jumping into online matches. The atmosphere resembles a low-budget version of ‘we have Guardians of the Galaxy at home.’ Players are introduced to a colorful ensemble of characters — Freegunners — searching for their next gig in the universe. The attempted humor and dialogue often fall flat, but that’s understandable. There are only so many archetypes to represent a team of misfit characters, and most of them have been exhausted in prior films and games. There’s the quirky leader type; the solitary girl with a heart of gold; the dependable brute; the serious strategist; the surprisingly human-like robot — you get the idea.

The character concepts are unoriginal, but that matters less in a PvP looter-shooter without a single-player campaign. What stands out are the lackluster character designs. At first glance, many appear as if an AI image generator produced them by merging aesthetics from Guardians of the Galaxy, Starfield, Overwatch, and other hero-based shooters into a bland lineup. Others seem outright lazy or too derivative. For instance, Lennox bears an uncanny resemblance to Yondu from Guardians but acts like Starlord. Then there’s Star Child, who appears to mix elements of Drax and several Overwatch heavies. 1-0FF resembles a blend of Bastion and a trash can. Teo brings to mind Rick Flag from Suicide Squad.

Remind you of someone from the Guardians of the Galaxy?
Photo Credit: Firewalk Studios/ Screenshot — Manas Mitul

To clarify, these aren’t obvious clones with minor tweaks that nod to their influences — it’s not Palworld and Pokémon. However, the character designs lack creativity. Firewalk could have unleashed its imagination and assembled an inventive cast of characters that felt fresh. Instead, Concord’s characters barely stand out from each other. For instance, three out of the total sixteen characters are simply individuals in basic NASA-style spacesuits with slight variations. Roka wears a sleek spacesuit and a helmet with an opaque visor, obscuring her face. Daveers’ suit includes more details, complete with tools and a boxy helmet featuring a transparent visor. Emari, a tank class hero, dons a bulky spacesuit with a backpack and a helmet without a visor. Surely, Firewalk could have injected more distinct styles into the game’s heroes.

Nevertheless, Concord strives to weave a narrative through its PvP setting, similar to Overwatch. The game features cinematics that intermittently narrate the story of its Freegunners and frame their missions. As part of a crew, you roam the galaxy taking on jobs and challenges, thereby building your reputation. As your reputation — essentially serving as your level — advances, more game modes and crew customization options become available. The game also introduces a Galactic Guide, a visual map of the galaxy in which your crew operates, filled with flavor text describing every planet that hosts PvP matches. Although it serves as an interesting way to provide context, it feels somewhat alien to the actual gameplay experience. The Galactic Guide seems more appropriate for a single-player adventure like Mass Effect. The narrative setup of moving to different planets for shooting matches doesn’t effectively work — unlike Helldivers 2, where the conflict across planets is closely tied to the PvE elements.

The Galactic Guide is a neat way to deliver flavor text, but feels detached from gameplay
Photo Credit: Firewalk Studios/ Screenshot — Manas Mitul

That said, Concord excels primarily at its PvP matches. The shooting mechanics are enjoyable, dynamic, and present numerous distinctive options. Matches are fast-paced and require teamwork and strategic thinking. Characters typically possess a main and secondary weapon, two unique abilities linked to the controller’s bumpers, a mobility skill, a passive ability, and a combat trait. Abilities recharge either over time or through specific in-game actions.

Furthermore, many of the hero abilities are quite innovative and creative, even if they bear resemblance to skills from Overwatch and Valorant. For example, 1-00F’s abilities involve air manipulation; this cleaning robot wields an industrial vacuum as his primary weapon, which doesn’t inflict damage but can withdraw enemy traps and projectiles. He can also set up an air barrier deflecting all incoming projectiles at the touch of the L1 button. Contrarily, Haymar’s abilities revolve around fire; she carries a flameshot bow and can unleash a wall of fire on her foes. Meanwhile, Kyps is a stealthy operator with a silenced pistol and deploys trapping devices that reveal enemies upon activation. Her movement skill enables a brief dodge that cloaks her for a time.

Heroes in Concord are classified into six categories: Anchors are tankier characters who hold the frontline; Breachers lead the charge in skirmishes; Haunts are agile and rely on surprising tactics; Rangers serve as versatile assault types; Tacticians deploy skills that enable team advantages; while Wardens act as snipers controlling critical positions from afar. Although some characters are genre staples, Concord largely does well in ensuring that each hero contributes uniquely to gameplay.

Hero abilities are distinct, but lack a punch
Photo Credit: Firewalk Studios/ Sony

While players can engage in solo practice in the training area or participate in time trials, the core of the action is found in the 5v5 PvP modes. These include standard fare such as team deathmatch, capture and hold, cargo escort, and others. The PvP modes are divided among three categories — Brawl, Overrun, and Rivalry. Brawl features TDM and Trophy Hunt, which operates similarly to Call of Duty’s Kill Confirmed. Overrun encompasses Area Control and Signal Chase, featuring set or moving zones to capture and defend. Rivalry consists of Cargo Run and Clash Point, but with no respawns. PvP encounters are quick and fluid, with enjoyable gunplay, and the weapons themselves sport unique designs. However, some abilities do come off as underwhelming, and the absence of an Ultimate ability leaves the combat experience feeling somewhat shallow and lacking punch.

Finding matches in Concord proved to be understandably challenging. Even during its last hours, there weren’t many players online. Less than a hundred individuals were playing on Steam on the final day. Matchmaking was particularly tough in Overrun and Rivalry modes, with players predominantly gravitating to the team deathmatch format. When players did manage to join a Rivalry game, they’d often just leap off cliffs to farm XP and snag the Platinum trophy before the shutdown. This entire scenario feels unfortunate and tragic, albeit somewhat amusing. Concord’s situation highlights the troubled state of the gaming industry and the untenable strains of game development.

Concord boasts a polished visual presentation, yet the artistic decisions and style appear derivative — a mix of Overwatch’s cartoonish aesthetics with the signature PlayStation realism. Many color schemes, designs, and musical elements reminded me of Starfield and No Man’s Sky. The visuals are appealing, and most maps are striking. Firewalk has aimed to integrate unique visual qualities into each map to make them stand out. Yet, a pervasive feeling of redundancy looms over the arenas. The maps lack surprises, filled with familiar corridors, choke points, and sightlines that players have seen in other online shooters. While this critique may not be entirely fair, given that all online shooters share common design elements, it doesn’t aid Concord’s cause, particularly as it struggles in a crowded market. Still, performance on PS5 remained solid and reliable, as anticipated from an online shooter.

Also seeHelldivers 2 Review: Democracy Done Right

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Concord tries to bring unique visual elements to its maps
Photo Credit: Firewalk Studios/ Screenshot — Manas Mitul

Ultimately, Concord lacks the compelling qualities required to thrive in a galaxy filled with PvP shooters — especially with a $40 price tag. While the core gameplay is enjoyable, it fails to deliver anything particularly unique that isn’t already available for free elsewhere. Nevertheless, it also didn’t warrant its unfortunate fate. It is not so poorly executed as to merit eradication after a mere two-week launch period. The blame for its dismal release shouldn’t rest on the developers but on corporate decision-makers who disregarded all the warning signs and proceeded to launch the game toward its inevitable failure. Concord experienced a disastrous open beta, garnering just over 2,000 players on Steam. For perspective, Deadlock, Valve’s new hero-shooter, attracted more than 90,000 users during its invite-only closed beta on Steam! Almost nobody was interested in playing Concord when it was offered for free — so why did Sony assume it would gain traction once it came with a price?

As Sony is now discovering, the ‘games as a service’ model is an unpredictable market. Players are deeply entrenched in their favored online games, making it challenging to entice them to try something new. Helldivers 2, Sony’s significant live service success that launched earlier this year on PC and PS5, serves as a fitting example. Its PvE playground provided an incredibly enjoyable and collaborative experience shared amongst players online — all wrapped in a satirical Starship Troopers-style military propaganda package. On the other hand, Concord’s latest live service venture blends into the competition, offering nothing distinctive to draw players in.

Concord is entertaining and serviceable, quite far from broken or exploitative titles like The Lord of the Rings: Gollum and The Day Before. However, it asks for an upfront payment for an experience most people previously purchased, played, and appreciated nearly a decade prior with the launch of Overwatch. Even Overwatch 2 debuted as a free-to-play offering last year, yet still found itself facing a skeptical audience. It’s baffling that Sony believed a hero-shooter in 2024 could be launched with a premium price. Concord should have been free-to-play and released on PS Plus — I hope it does return in that guise. Its launch should have been postponed following the dismal results of the open beta. Instead, Sony allowed it to march to its demise.

Pros

• Engaging PvP gameplay
• Unique character abilities
• Strong visual design

Cons

• $40 price point
• Uninspired character aesthetics
• Lack of ultimate abilities
• Detached narrative experience
• Too similar to established genre offerings

Rating (out of 10): 6

Concord was released on PS5 and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store) at a price of Rs. 2,499. The game was taken offline from all storefronts today (September 6) and is no longer available for purchase.