Concord‘s closure, coming mere weeks after its release, is a significant setback for Sony and its live service ambitions. With only days to go before Sony officially pulls the plug on Firewalk Studios’ debut title, a question emerges: Could a free-to-play model help save the game?
Concord’s troubled journey began with a lukewarm reception during its open beta. Despite boasting solid gameplay mechanics, owning to the fact that it was made by people who worked for Bungie and Destiny, the game struggled to separate itself in an oversaturated market dominated by established titles like Overwatch. The $40 price tag, while not exorbitant, added to the burden, serving as a significant barrier for potential players in a free-to-play genre.
Moreover, the game’s character designs became a focal point of criticism, with many players finding them unappealing or genetic.
In contrast, Valve is finding success in the same genre by taking a novel approach. Deadlock’s noir vibe and comic book look and MOBA-esque gameplay make it standout in a competitive genre. You couldn’t say the same about Concord.
Between its lack of innovation and bland character designs, Concord’s fundamental issues would have persisted regardless of the pricing model.
Is it possible that Sony is considering a complete overhaul of Concord, believing it could relaunch the game as a free-to-play title in the future? This approach would allow the company to address the game’s shortcomings, implement a better, more sustainable monetization model, and potentially salvage some of the significant investment made in the project.
But would it be worth all the effort? Doing so would require a significant investment to overcome the negative perception already associated with the Concord brand.
We can point out to several examples of infamous games that had terrible reception at launch. No Man’s Sky is a good example. However, No Man’s Sky at least drew in millions of players across the globe. On the other hand, fewer than a thousand players have logged on to play Concord on Steam simultaneously. The juice, as they say, has to be worth the squeeze for Sony, and as it stands, Concord just isn’t worth it.
Sony now faces the challenge of rebuilding trust with players and reassessing its approach to live service games.
Already, doubters, naysayers, critics, and even fans, are circling above Marathon and Fairgame$, two of Sony’s upcoming live service titles, waiting to swoop in and rip both apart as soon as they’re released. Both, among others, are due to face increased scrutiny in light of Concord’s failure.
So far, Sony hasn’t abandoned its live service ambitions just yet, but its CFO, Hiroki Totoki, did just reveal that it’s investing multiple billions into new experiences and properties. He didn’t mention live service at all, which does make you wonder why considering that it still has a couple more lined up outside of the games we’ve already mentioned.
For now, PlayStation is focusing heavily on its single-player titles. Astro Bot’s release is just right around the corner, followed by God of War: Ragnarok’s arrival on the PC, and the reveal of the PlayStation 5 Pro, which may or may not cost an arm and a leg.
