Concord Was Reportedly Considered ‘Future of PlayStation’ and Apparently Cost $400 Million

by

Concord Was Reportedly Considered 'Future of PlayStation' and Apparently Cost $400 Million

Key Takeaways

  • Concord failed to live up to high expectations, costing $400m, according to an anonymous developer from Firewalk Studios.
  • The report claimed Sony had ambitious plans for Concord as the future of PlayStation.
  • No actual numbers for Concord’s budget have been revealed, so these comments should be taken with a grain of salt.

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I must say I’ve seen some highs and lows in this industry, but the tale of Concord has left me quite astounded. With its reported budget of a whopping $400 million, it’s like they were trying to create the next big thing, the new Star Wars of gaming.

A representative from Firewalk Studios provided insights about the making of the game titled Concord. They mentioned that this game was marketed as “the future” for the PlayStation brand, with an estimated budget of around $400 million. In 2024, Concord, a first-person team shooter developed by Firewalk Studios, has been a much-debated topic within gaming circles due to its unfavorable media attention. Launched for both the PlayStation 5 and PC towards the end of August, Concord’s production was halted just a few weeks later, owing to poor sales and player numbers.

After just two weeks since its release, the game Concord was removed from all digital marketplaces because its servers were deactivated. Those who had bought it received refunds. Prior to its shutdown, it’s estimated that Concord sold approximately 25,000 copies across both PS5 and PC platforms. At its peak, there were fewer than 700 simultaneous players on the PC version. A representative from Firewalk Studios claimed that Sony had high expectations for Concord, as they reportedly invested a total of $400 million into it, positioning it as “the future” of the PlayStation brand.

In an episode of Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast, it was disclosed that a confidential source from Firewalk Studios communicated with Colin Moriarty to provide additional details about the game Concord. As per Moriarty’s account, the production budget for Concord is said to be approximately $400 million: $200 million initially invested by ProbablyMonsters (Firewalk Studios’ initial parent company) and an additional $200 million by Sony. The developer claimed that the alpha version of Concord was reportedly in a poor state, leading Sony to invest the extra $200 million to bring the game up to a functional level. It is important to mention that the actual budget for Concord remains uncertain, so these figures should be accepted with some skepticism.

Concord Reportedly Cost $400 Million, With Big Ambitions from Sony

The anonymous developer also noted that Concord was specifically being propped up as “the future of PlayStation”, with Sony having a lot of ambition to revisit the property in cross-media ventures, comparing it to Star Wars. Moriarty notes this can be seen with the Concord episode in Amazon’s Secret Level documentary. The biggest downfall of Concord, based on what Moriarty was told, is how the game had a “toxic positivity” vibe around its development, where no one was allowed to criticize any of the decisions made about the game.

From when it was initially announced until its closure, the game “Concord” has sparked debate among gaming enthusiasts. Critics argued that it adhered to the same hero shooter format as games such as “Overwatch” or “Marvel Rivals,” yet lacked originality despite the significant investment Sony and PlayStation made in it. However, Sony is considering alternative uses for the “Concord” intellectual property following its closure, but the game’s future remains uncertain.

Read More

2024-09-21 02:24