Sony's 'Concord' Failure Thrives with Steam Updates

Despite its swift demise weeks after launch, Sony's ill-fated hero shooter, Concord, continues to receive updates on Steam, sparking considerable speculation among gamers. This article explores these ongoing updates and the theories surrounding Concord's uncertain future.

Concord's SteamDB Update Activity Fuels Speculation

Free-to-Play Relaunch? Gameplay Overhaul? Theories Abound

Remember Concord? The hero shooter that flopped spectacularly? While officially offline since September 6th, its Steam page shows a surprising amount of activity.

Since September 29th, SteamDB logs over 20 updates for Concord, attributed to accounts like "pmtest," "sonyqae," and "sonyqae_shipping." These account names suggest backend improvements and quality assurance testing ("QAE" likely stands for "Quality Assurance Engineer").

Concord's August launch was a costly misstep. Priced at $40, it faced stiff competition from free-to-play giants like Overwatch, Valorant, and Apex Legends. The result? A disastrous launch, minimal player base, and overwhelmingly negative reviews. Sony pulled the game and issued refunds within two weeks, effectively declaring it dead on arrival.

So why the continued updates? Ryan Ellis, former Firewalk Studios Game Director, hinted at exploring options to better reach players in the shutdown announcement. This fuels speculation of a potential comeback, possibly as a free-to-play title. Removing the initial price barrier could address a key criticism.

Sony's substantial investment—reportedly up to $400 million—makes a salvage attempt understandable. The updates suggest Firewalk Studios might be overhauling the game, adding features, and addressing criticisms of weak character design and uninspired gameplay.

However, Sony remains silent on Concord's future. Will it return with refined mechanics, broader appeal, or a new monetization strategy? Only Firewalk Studios and Sony know for sure. Even a free-to-play relaunch would face a challenging battle in a saturated market.

For now, Concord remains unavailable, and Sony offers no official announcements. Whether it rises from the ashes remains to be seen.