Developed in 8-years, Sony scraps game 2 weeks after release
What's the story
Sony has announced the discontinuation of its online shooter game, Concord, just two weeks after its launch on August 23. The game will be taken offline on September 6, and refunds will be provided to all players who purchased it on PC or PlayStation 5 (PS5). This decision was communicated by Ryan Ellis, the Game Director at Firewalk Studios, which is owned by Sony.
Sales slump
Concord's underperformance led to its discontinuation
Concord's sales performance was disappointing, with an estimated total of just 25,000 copies sold across PS5 and PC platforms. According to Mat Piscatella from Circana, only 0.2% of all active PS5 players were engaged with the game last Monday. This lackluster performance ranked it as the 147th most-played title for that day. The Steam version also saw a low player count, peaking at fewer than 700 players post-launch.
Comparison
Concord's performance paled in comparison to other titles
On PSNProfiles, a popular opt-in trophy tracking site for PlayStation, Concord was owned by just over 1,300 players. This figure is significantly lower when compared to recent popular releases like Star Wars Outlaws (4,300 PSNProfiles owners) and Black Myth: Wukong (16,000 PSNProfiles owners). Ellis acknowledged that while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, other aspects of the game and the initial launch didn't land the way we'd intended.
Game development
Concord's journey and future prospects
Concord was the first game from Firewalk Studios, a company formed in 2018 and acquired by Sony last year. The game had been in development for around eight years. Despite its quick shutdown, Ellis hinted at a potential revival at some point, stating that Firewalk and Sony will "determine the best path ahead" and "explore options, including those that will better reach our players" in the future.