Concord (video game)
Concord | |
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Developer(s) | Firewalk Studios |
Publisher(s) | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
Director(s) | Ryan Ellis |
Engine | Unreal Engine 5[1] |
Platform(s) | |
Release | August 23, 2024 |
Genre(s) | Hero shooter |
Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Concord is a 2024 first-person hero shooter game developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The game was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on August 23, 2024. It received mixed reviews from critics and suffered from poor sales. On September 3, 2024, Sony announced that the game would be shut down on September 6, 2024, two weeks after its launch, with sold copies being refunded.
Gameplay
Concord is a sci-fi player-versus-player hero shooter video game played from a first-person perspective.[2] The game features a variety of alien characters, each with different abilities, such as robot legs for high jumps and diamond skin for enhanced damage absorption. One of the groups within the game is known as the Freegunners, who are mercenaries.[3] Some of the game mechanics include special equipment, like healing pads and trip mines, which persist not only between deaths but also across rounds.
The initial preview revealed five characters, and the game released with 16 characters.[4] The game was expected to have free post-launch updates that would have added more characters and maps.[3] Every week, the game would have featured new cutscenes about the characters and the ongoing story.[5]
Development and release
Concord is the first game developed by Firewalk Studios, a studio located in Bellevue, Washington and founded in 2018. Firewalk initially developed Concord in collaboration with its parent company, ProbablyMonsters, until the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment in April 2023.[6]
Firewalk Studios officially announced Concord during the PlayStation Showcase on May 24, 2023, with a CGI trailer.[7] A beta for the game was released in July 2024 to underwhelming player numbers. The game was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows on August 23, 2024.[8][9]
On September 3, Sony announced that the game would be taken offline for an undisclosed amount of time while they "explore options, including those that will better reach our players", citing that "aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended", with all copies of the game that had been sold up to that point to be refunded. The game was also delisted from digital storefronts.[10]
Reception
Critical response
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | (PS5) 63/100[11] (PC) 66/100[12] |
OpenCritic | 24%[13] |
Publication | Score |
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Computer Games Magazine | 6.5/10[14] |
Digital Trends | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Eurogamer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
GamesRadar+ | 3/5[17] |
Hardcore Gamer | 3.5/5[18] |
IGN | 7/10[19] |
PCMag | 3.5/5[20] |
Push Square | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Shacknews | 7/10[22] |
Video Games Chronicle | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2024) |
Concord received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic, based on 29 critic reviews for PS5 and 11 critic reviews for PC.[11][12] On OpenCritic, the game is recommended by 23% of 32 critic reviews.[13]
Push Square rated it seven out of ten, and wrote: "Firewalk's debut may not be out of this world, but it's genuinely pretty good overall."[21] Digital Trends rated it three out of five, and wrote: "Concord has the bones of a fun multiplayer game, but it's missing the meat."[15] Video Games Chronicle rated it three out of five, and was critical of the $40 price tag, advising players to wait until the game was available on PlayStation Plus.[23] Eurogamer rated it three out of five, attributing the rating to the hero's "muddled" character design, writing: "The heroes seem to be visually either under or overdesigned".[16]
Sales
GamingBolt reported that Concord has struggled to attract players, with a peak of just 697 concurrent players on Steam—notably low for a major release, and even lower than its beta phase.[24] PCGamesN cited the game's struggle to differentiate itself in a heavily saturated market, dominated by free-to-play games like Overwatch 2 and Valorant, as a key factor in its low player numbers.[25]
One week after launch, the game ranked 40th on the PlayStation Store in terms of sales, with a player count on Steam measured at 162 on August 29th.[26] It was estimated that less than a week after release the game had sold around 25,000 units, with sales of 10,000 on Steam and 15,000 on PlayStation.[27]
Adaptation
In August 2024, it was revealed that the game would be adapted in the video game anthology series Secret Level.[28][29]
References
- ^ Morgan, Thomas (July 17, 2024). "Concord: Guardians of the Galaxy meets a next-gen Overwatch?". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (May 30, 2024). "Concord Gets New Cinematic and Gameplay Trailer, and a Release Date - State of Play 2024". IGN. Archived from the original on August 9, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ a b Yang, George (May 30, 2024). "PlayStation's Concord is coming to both PS5 and PC this August". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Gurwin, Gabe; Carr, James (May 30, 2024). "New Sony Game Concord's Debut Trailer Gives Off Big Guardians Of The Galaxy Energy, Beta And Date Confirmed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Middler, Jordan (June 27, 2024). "First Look: PlayStation's Concord is Breaking New Ground in How Live Service Games Tell Stories". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Peters, Jay (April 20, 2023). "PlayStation acquires Firewalk Studios, which is building an 'original AAA multiplayer game'". The Verge. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Ellis, Ryan (May 24, 2023). "Introducing Concord—a new PVP multiplayer FPS from Firewalk Studios coming to PS5 and PC". PlayStation.Blog. Archived from the original on May 31, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
- ^ Gach, Ethan (May 30, 2024). "Our First Look At Concord, PlayStation's Guardians Of The Galaxy-Infused Hero Shooter". Kotaku. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Ramsay, Robert (July 18, 2024). "There's Already Concern Over Concord's Player Count as Open Beta Begins". Push Square. Archived from the original on July 30, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (September 3, 2024). "Concord Is Suddenly Getting Pulled Offline With Sony Promising Full Refunds". IGN. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ a b "Concord for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Concord for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Concord Reviews". OpenCritic. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ Biordi, Jordan (August 23, 2024). "Concord (PS5) Review". Computer Games Magazine. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Colantonio, Giovanni (August 23, 2024). "Concord review: Promising PS5 shooter is lost in space for now". Digital Trends. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ a b Lane, Rick (August 27, 2024). "Concord review - a hero shooter that nails the shooting, but fumbles the heroes". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on August 30, 2024. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ Tyrer, Ben (August 28, 2024). "Concord review: "Plenty of characters and little personality"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Dunsmore, Kevin (August 27, 2024). "Review: Concord". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Northup, Travis (August 27, 2024). "Concord Review". IGN. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ Cuevas, Zackery (September 1, 2024). "Concord (for PlayStation 5) Review". PCMag. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Barker, Sammy (August 24, 2024). "Concord Review (PS5)". Push Square. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ Erskine, Donovan (August 30, 2024). "Concord review: An expedition to find the next big thing". Shacknews. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Middler, Jordan (August 24, 2024). "Review: Concord is a good shooter divorced from the reality of its genre". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ Parijat, Shubhankar (August 24, 2024). "Concord is Out Today, Debuts with Under 700 Concurrent Players on Steam". GamingBolt. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ Nelson, Will (August 24, 2024). "Concord can't even reach 1,000 Steam players at launch, and here's why". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Swan, Cameron (August 29, 2024). "What to Expect from Concord's Post-Launch Support". Game Rant. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Valentine, Rebekah (August 30, 2024). "Concord Is Estimated to Have Sold Only 25,000 Units. Here's Why Analysts Think It's Failing". IGN. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (August 21, 2024). "Secret Level: Every Video Game In The New Gamescom Trailer". IGN. Archived from the original on August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
it's already getting an animated spinoff thanks to Secret Level.
- ^ Washenko, Anna (August 20, 2024). "Animated video game anthology series Secret Level is coming to Prime Video". Engadget. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.