PlayStation Publishing and Firewalk Studios have released hero shooter Concord on PC (Steam) and PlayStation 5 ($39.99). Unlike most hero shooters, Concord isn’t free to play — and that may be a disaster.
Many Sony games are getting released on Steam, with some growing pains involved, and Concord is one of them. Steam’s player numbers are public, making it easy to see how a game’s doing on launch.
The numbers aren’t great for Concord. On the day of release, it’s hitting a peak of about 700 players. 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 more players are playing on PlayStation than Steam, especially as the Steam client still requires a PlayStation account.
But that’s still pretty rough.
Firewalk Studios is made up of veterans from the Destiny series, and Concord’s core gunplay and combat is heavily inspired by Destiny’s PvP, but within a structured hero shooter.
There’s a consensus from players that guns and levels are great, but character designs and game modes not so much. The few critical reviews up by now are middling at best.
It’s also impossible to ignore the price tag. Hero shooters are almost universally free to play. Overwatch. Valorant. Star Wars: Hunters. Marvel Rivals. It’s downright head-scratching that Concord didn’t follow suit. It may soon be forced to, in order to maintain a healthy player base.
Unfortunately, multiplayer games need to establish an early foothold and at least a modicum of success, in an increasingly crowded arena. Concord may have never stood a chance.
Concord is available now on Steam and PlayStation 5. It’s rated T for Teen.
