Sony's Flop, Concord, Still Updated on Steam

Concord, despite its short-lived availability in stores, continues to receive updates on Steam, sparking curiosity and speculation about its future. Dive deeper to explore these updates and the theories surrounding them.

Concord SteamDB Updates Ignite Speculations

Will Concord Become Free-to-Play? Get Improved Gameplay? Speculations Arise

Remember Concord? The hero-shooter that launched with much less impact than expected? Despite being offline since September 6th, Concord's Steam page has been receiving consistent updates.

Since September 29, SteamDB has tracked over 20 updates for Concord, pushed by accounts such as "pmtest," "sonyqae," and "sonyqae_shipping." These account names suggest that the updates could be focused on backend fixes and enhancements, with "QAE" likely indicating "Quality Assurance Engineer."

When Concord hit the market in August, it aimed to revolutionize the hero shooter genre with a $40 price tag—a bold move given the competition from free-to-play giants like Overwatch, Valorant, and Apex Legends. However, the launch turned out to be a disappointment. Just two weeks post-launch, Sony pulled the game and issued refunds to all players. The game suffered from a tiny player base and minimal interest, earning it the label of a "dead on arrival" title with poor ratings.

So, why is a game that failed so dramatically still getting updates? In the shutdown announcement, Ryan Ellis, the then-Game Director at Firewalk Studios, mentioned that they would "explore options, including those that will better reach our players." This statement has fueled speculation among gamers that Concord might be preparing for a comeback, possibly as a free-to-play game. Eliminating the paid entry fee could address one of the main criticisms leveled at the game.

Given Sony's substantial investment—reportedly up to $400 million—it's not surprising that they might be looking to salvage their investment. The ongoing updates suggest that Firewalk Studios could be using this time to refine the game, potentially introducing new features and tackling the initial feedback on lackluster characters and uninspired gameplay.

However, none of these speculations have been officially confirmed. Sony has kept quiet about Concord's future. Could the game return with enhanced mechanics, a wider appeal, or a new monetization strategy? Only those at Firewalk Studios and Sony know for sure. Even if Concord relaunches as free-to-play, it will face stiff competition in an already saturated market.

Currently, Concord remains unavailable for purchase, and Sony has not released any official statements about its future. Only time will tell if these speculations hold true or if Concord can ever recover from its initial failure.