Sony’s recently released live-service FPS game for PlayStation 5 and PC, Concord, has had a rough launch and is essentially dead on arrival. Although we don’t have numbers of how many people are playing on console, if the PC numbers indicate anything, the player count is bad across the board. Concord currently has a player peak of only 697 players since its release.
To make matters worse, the decline in player interest is also quite steep, as the current number of players has already fallen below 150, which is truly unfortunate for the developer, Firewalk Studios, and Concord. The game launched a little under a week ago on August 20, 2024, with a Digital Deluxe Edition for $60, and a Standard Edition for $30. That is likely the reason for the limited sales, when similar games are available to play for free, with a more promising future.
It seems Sony missed the hint with Overwatch moving to a free-to-play model so late into its life cycle. The waning interest in the hero-shooter genre prompted Blizzard and its competitors to make the switch to free-to-play.
The upcoming Marvel Rivals has also gone away with the paid model, as it will also be free-to-play when it comes out this December on consoles and PC. Not only that, but all future heroes that will be added to the game will continue to be free for everyone.
The method of monetization and the unfamiliar characters turned into a double-whammy for Sony and Firewalk Studios. One of the biggest reasons why Marvel Rivals has the interest it does is because its roster is full of familiar heroes that have fans and followers.
The hero-shooter genre has seen a belated resurgence as of late, with Valve’s shooter Deadlock also on the way. Hopefully, both Marvel Rivals and Deadlock will not suffer the fate that has befallen Concord.
