Concord's Brief, Yet Not Briefest, Existence

Firewalk Studios' Concord: A Short-Lived Hero Shooter

Firewalk Studios' 5v5 hero shooter, Concord, met an abrupt end just two weeks after its launch. The game's failure to meet expectations led to the shutdown of its servers on September 6th, 2024, as announced by Game Director Ryan Ellis on the PlayStation Blog. Despite some positive player feedback on certain aspects of the game, overall reception fell short of the studio's goals. Full refunds were issued for digital purchases on Steam, Epic Games Store, and the PlayStation Store.

The closure is a significant setback, especially considering the high hopes surrounding Concord. Sony's acquisition of Firewalk Studios, based on their perceived potential, and the planned inclusion of Concord in the Prime Video series "Secret Level," hinted at a brighter future. An ambitious post-launch roadmap, including a season one launch and weekly cutscenes, was also planned but ultimately scrapped due to the game's poor performance. Only three cutscenes were released before shutdown.

Concord's underperformance stemmed from several factors. Despite an eight-year development cycle, the game failed to attract a substantial player base, peaking at only 697 concurrent players. Industry analyst Daniel Ahmad pointed to a lack of innovation and uninspired character designs as key shortcomings, noting that the game failed to differentiate itself from established competitors and felt outdated. The $40 price tag also proved disadvantageous compared to popular free-to-play alternatives. Minimal marketing further hampered its chances of success.

The future of Concord remains uncertain. While a return isn't impossible, as evidenced by the revival of Gigantic, a significant overhaul would likely be necessary. Simply making the game free-to-play, as some suggest, wouldn't address the fundamental issues of bland character designs and sluggish gameplay. A complete redesign, similar to the successful revitalization of Final Fantasy XIV, might be required to breathe new life into the project. Game8's review summarized the situation succinctly, awarding Concord a 56/100 and describing it as "visually appealing, yet lifeless."