PlayStation’s Concord Peaks at Just 697 Players on Launch Day

Concord, PlayStation’s multiplayer live-service shooter game, was in development for eight long years at Firewalk Studios, with ex-Bungie employees brought in to help shape its ambitious vision.

Expectations were sky-high, with promises of fast-paced combat, deep character customization, and engaging multiplayer modes. Sadly, the launch of Concord has turned into one of the most disappointing in recent gaming history.

Despite the buildup, the game debuted with less than 700 concurrent players on Steam. To be precise, it peaked at 697 players a few hours after launch, and as the day progressed, the numbers only dropped further, now hovering around 200 to 500 players.

To put this into perspective, other live service games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which was a $ 200 million loss-making commercial disaster for WB Games, still managed to attract 13,000 concurrent players at launch—nearly 20x more than Concord. Even games that were universally panned, such as last year’s Gollum, performed better in terms of player engagement.

Here are some of the “worst” game peaks to come out in recent years that still did better than Concord:

• Lawbreakers – 7,579
• Redfall – 6,124
• HYENAS Closed Beta – 2,261
• Godfall – 1,762
• Bleeding Edge – 1,464
• Immortals of Aveum – 751

Why Did Concord’s Launch Numbers Plummet?

The low player numbers for Concord are particularly surprising because the game itself isn’t inherently bad. Reviews and player feedback have been mixed but not overwhelmingly negative as it currently stands at a 73% positive score by 388 reviews on Steam. So, what went wrong?

1) Price vs. Perceived Value:

One of the key factors is likely the game’s perceived value versus its price. The open beta for Concord, which was free, peaked at around 2,300 players (that’s not good either).

However, when the full game was released with a $40 price tag, many potential players opted out. This sharp drop-off suggests that players were not convinced the game was worth the asking price, especially in a market flooded with free-to-play alternatives offering similar experiences.

2) Poor Marketing and Community Engagement:

Another significant issue is the lack of a strong marketing push and community engagement leading up to the release. Concord did not generate the same level of excitement as other PlayStation titles, and as a result, many potential players simply weren’t aware of its release or weren’t sufficiently motivated to buy it.

3) Characters and Storylines Shortcomings:

On the technical front, Concord is missing some points. The game tried to stand out by focusing on its narrative, with weekly cutscenes and a Galactic Guide that chronicled the story. However, these elements felt disjointed and awkward, especially for players who hadn’t followed the pre-release coverage.

The cutscenes introduced characters and storylines without enough context, leaving new players puzzled about the stakes and purpose of their in-game actions. The Galactic Guide, while an interesting concept, was easy to ignore and didn’t offer enough incentive for players to engage with the story.

Some Concord gameplay. For many of you, this is probably the first time you’re seeing it. 😂

Yesterday I decided to mess around with the My Crew part of the game design. Choosing a character will pass around a passive skill to the next character you choose in a match.

I would… pic.twitter.com/rVjC7lFqSg

— SloMoDaMus (@SloMoBackSlap) August 24, 2024

The game launched with 16 characters and 6 modes, divided into three playlists. However, players couldn’t queue for all modes at once or pick their favorite, which led to frustration. Matches were too short, giving players little time to experiment with the game’s diverse roster.

Just a lil IT-Z gameplay. #Concord #PS5 pic.twitter.com/cojV4EO4EK

— Jay Bari Strife 🗣️💗 (@JayBari_) August 22, 2024

4) Characters Design and Forced DEI:

Perhaps the most glaring issue was the poor character design. Despite featuring a colorful and varied cast, Concord’s characters failed to leave a lasting impression.

Unlike iconic figures like Tracer or Widowmaker, Concord’s characters felt bland and over-engineered, lacking the charisma needed to captivate a community. The absence of easily accessible bios or backstories only compounded this issue.

Some players blamed the developers for forcing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in character design, which they felt ruined the game experience. This sentiment was further fueled by the connection to Sweet Bacy Inc, a consultancy firm involved in the game’s development, which led some gamers to boycott the title.

Concord might have the UGLIEST Characters Designs I have ever seen. pic.twitter.com/OuaIMv0eyh

— OmegaValwin (@omegavalwin) August 24, 2024

I am really impressed how in trying to make Concord a game for “everyone”, they have managed to make a game for hardly anybody. pic.twitter.com/N34ObpPkkA

— CrossRaven (@CrossRaven) August 21, 2024

5) Hero Shooter Fatigue:

Once a fresh and exciting genre, the market has become oversaturated with games featuring similar mechanics and character designs. When Concord was revealed, many gamers couldn’t help but draw comparisons to established titles like Overwatch, Valorant, and Apex Legends.

Despite Firewalk’s efforts to differentiate Concord as an arena shooter with unique gameplay, the game struggled to capture attention since the announcement, ultimately leading to its disappointing launch.

Is There a Future for Concord?

Given the disastrous launch, the future of Concord is uncertain. Typically, when a live service game performs this poorly at launch, developers are forced to make drastic changes to salvage the project. In Concord’s case, it’s highly likely that the game will pivot to a free-to-play model or be added to PS Plus to attract a larger player base [or Game Pass maybe].

However, this comes with its own set of challenges, as the game wasn’t originally designed to generate revenue through microtransactions like battle passes or character sales.

Furthermore, PlayStation’s live service ambitions may be in jeopardy if Concord doesn’t turn things around quickly. While Helldivers 2 enjoyed a surprisingly successful launch and bought Sony some goodwill in this space, Concord’s failure could have long-lasting consequences on thier strategy.

Continuing to invest in the game’s development, given the current player numbers, would mean burning through even more resources without a clear path to profitability.