PlayStation Publishing and Firewalk Studios have released the hero shooter Concord for PC (Steam) and PlayStation 5 ($39.99). Unlike most hero shooters, Concord is not free to play – and that could be a disaster.
Many Sony games are released on Steam, which comes with some teething issues, and Concord is one of them. Steam’s player counts are public, so it’s easy to see how a game is doing at launch.
The numbers for Concord aren’t great. It peaked at around 700 players on release day. That’s abysmal for a AAA multiplayer game with a ton of marketing and support from one of the biggest companies in gaming. There’s even a limited edition DualSense controller!
It’s safe to assume that more players play on PlayStation than on Steam, especially since the Steam client still requires a PlayStation account.
But that’s still pretty rough.
Firewalk Studios is comprised of veterans of the Destiny series, and Concord’s core gunplay and combat is heavily inspired by Destiny’s PvP, but within the framework of a structured hero shooter.
Players agree that the weapons and levels are great, but the character designs and game modes are less so. The few reviews that have appeared so far are mediocre at best.
The price can’t be ignored either. Hero shooters are free to play almost everywhere. Overwatch. Valorant. Star Wars: Hunters. Marvel Rivals. It’s almost puzzling that Concord hasn’t followed suit. Perhaps it will soon be forced to do so in order to maintain a healthy player base.
Unfortunately, multiplayer games have yet to establish themselves and achieve at least a modicum of success in an increasingly crowded environment. Concord may never have stood a chance.
“Concord” is now available on Steam and PlayStation 5. The game is rated “T” for Teens.
