2024-09-04 08:25:03
Firewalk Studios has announced the sudden closure of live service game Concord, just two weeks after it launched. The game will be sent offline on 6 September, and all players who purchased it will be refunded. While the team has promised to “explore options” for the game to “better reach [its] players,” the future for Concord now seems much darker.
While the game debuted with a flashy trailer in a 2023 PlayStation Showcase, it failed to make an immediate impression. On social media, there were questions about the decision to use a largely cinematic to introduce its story and character, given it was a live service game with only light story elements. Some called it a Guardians of the Galaxy clone, while others immediately compared it unfavourably to Overwatch.
When the game’s beta launched in mid-2024, reception was equally lukewarm. Players who did jump in noted low player counts and interest, and while there were many who wanted to see it succeed, inspired by its neat theming and solid gameplay, it appears its core audience was never found. On launch, early reports alleged the game had only sold around 25,000 copies – far off the number required to justify its development and maintenance costs.
This number was never confirmed by Firewalk Studios, but given the game is now being taken offline, we can assume sales disappointed the studio. It’s incredibly rare that a game is immediately pulled in this fashion, and particularly a AAA-production like this.
Read: Concord’s post-launch roadmap includes new Freegunners, maps, modes
Per Firewalk Studios, while some elements of the game “resonated with players” there were “other aspects of the game and [its] initial launch [that] didn’t land the way [the studio] intended.” It has thanked the players who did jump in and “join the journey aboard the Northstar” regardless of these challenges.
The reality is that making a new live service game in 2024 is a difficult proposition. The market is already crowded with live service competitors, and each demands a significant time investment from players. Most also demand some sort of monetary investment, whether on launch, or through the arrival of new seasonal content.
There’s only so much time, and so much money available to players – and not every new live service game can be the next “big thing.” While Concord appeared to have the chops to make an impact on the scene, word of mouth was not enough to overcome player perceptions, or those requirements of time and money.
For now, the future of Concord remains unclear. Firewalk Studios has promised to keep fans updated on development progress, as potential new pathways are explored – but for now, it’s best to keep expectations in check. Concord had promise, but it will take a hefty amount of work to revamp it significantly enough to attract a much-needed, much-larger player base.
