Unity is a brand new 5v5 competitive shooter debuting from PlayStation first-party developer Firewalk Studios. The game was originally announced at the PlayStation Showcase 2023 and received a much more in-depth look at the May 2024 State of Play.
Even after the game was released, it failed to capture the interest of players. The gaming community believes that the shooter is an unoriginal and boring game that should never have been released. However, a few believe that if Sony incorporates the hero shooter formula into its Killzone Franchise, it would have been a phenomenal success.
The Concord formula needed strong franchise support
The Killzone Franchise is one of Sony’s most controversial IPs and one that many quickly forgot about after the launch of Guerilla’s smash hit horizon series. It was originally developed as a countermeasure to Xbox’s halo and has managed to gain a cult-like following among gamers.
The new shooter from PlayStation, Unityseems to have had a terrible start on Steamwith less than 700 players playing the title simultaneously on release day. The gaming community believes that Sony has made a huge flop and it will take a long time before they can regain the trust of gamers.
However, gamers believe that if Sony really wanted to develop its own hero shooter, it would have chosen its dormant Killzone Franchise because it is already well known among gamers. Unity lacks soul and, unlike Sony’s other cult IPs, it doesn’t create a real connection with players.
The possibilities are endless with a Killzone Game that adapts the formula of a hero shooter. It could have set itself apart from the competition by taking the dark, dystopian atmosphere of the franchise and distorting it with its iconic characters.
Each hero would have represented a different faction in the game’s universe and had abilities tied to their fighting style and faction’s technology.
Merging such a legendary series with modern shooter elements would certainly have created a unique experience that gamers would have loved to experience. Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that Sony will ever delve into the genre again.
The shooter was 8 years in development
You may be surprised to learn that according to game developer Jon Weisnewski The shooter was developed for around eight yearsTo celebrate the title’s release, Weisnewski expressed his excitement that the team’s hard work is finally bearing fruit.
Of the eight years the title was in development, Weisnewski was involved for five. The developer’s enthusiasm remained undiminished, expressing his appreciation for the chance to work in a creative environment with other developers in a low-key X/Twitter threat.
Despite all the efforts of Sony and the studio to promote the shooter with weekly cinematics that delve deeper into the characters, the game failed to generate the hype the developers had hoped for.
This certainly had an impact on the game’s launch, but the developers can still recover by switching to a free-to-play formula and providing quality updates to the game.
Do you think Sony made a big mistake by releasing this game? Let us know in the comments.
