Unitythe new first-person shooter developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony has had a bumpy road to release since its unveiling a few months ago. Fans weren’t excited about yet another hero shooter in an oversaturated market, and the game didn’t do enough to justify its $40 price tag.
After eight years of development, the last five of which were heavily focused on perfecting the game, the game was expected to be a major entry into the live service gaming market. Despite these high expectations, the game’s initial reception was mixed, especially considering the number of Steam players.
Concord’s bumpy start is not a good sign
Sony expected the game, which was available in Early Access for owners of the Deluxe version on August 20 and fully released on August 23, to make a big impression, especially with fans of hero shooters.
The reality, however, was rather disappointing: at the time of writing, the maximum number of concurrent players on Steam was only 697. This number is quite low for a game from Concord scope and budget, and it falls short of expectations even when compared to the game’s beta performance.
The trailers and marketing efforts for the game, which were supposed to generate interest, failed to attract the masses, leaving the future of the game in a dangerous and uncertain position, as many studios in recent times have closed down rather quickly after even a single failure.
Unity’The initial difficulties of s can be attributed to several factors, including competition and market saturation. The hero shooter genre is already dominated by heavyweights such as Overwatch2 And Brave, and the live service genre is even more competitive with Fortnite, Apex, Warzone, and several other free games.
Unitydespite introducing new features such as weekly cinematics, it struggles to stand out in this crowded space. The game was also criticized for its character designs and writing, which many found generic and uninteresting, calling it a rip-off of Guardians of the Galaxy.
The challenges and the path ahead for Concord
The game’s performance on Steam may not tell the whole story either, as its presence on PlayStation 5 must be taken into account, where player counts are not publicly available.
But even with the potential hidden success on Sony’s platform, the low visibility and momentum on PC is a cause for concern.
Firewalk Studios plans to launch its first post-launch season in October. with new content like a new freegunner (Hero) and a new map. While this content roadmap shows the studio’s commitment to supporting the game long-term, it may not be enough to reverse the game’s slow start.
Comparisons with other live service games like Helldivers 2, who recorded unexpected successes, raise further doubts about Concord Ability to turn things around. Helldivers 2, Despite modest expectations, it managed to attract players’ interest and maintain a solid player base.
Unityfaces an uphill battle and it is hard to imagine that the game could achieve the same level of success. The only logical way forward might be to make the game free to play.
Concord The road from development to release has been anything but smooth. The game’s low player count on Steam is a clear warning sign, especially for a first-party title from Sony.
Are you planning on picking up the game in the near future? Let us know in the comments below.
