Key Takeaways
- Sony spent $200 million on Concord, which flopped in open beta with only 2,300 players.
- Sony president Totoki highlights the need for more detailed checks to prevent failures like Concord.
- Concord set a record with a launch-to-shutdown timeframe of just two weeks in 2024.
As a seasoned gamer with a heart full of nostalgia and pockets lighter from countless purchases, the tale of Concord serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry. Having witnessed the rise and fall of numerous titles, I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Sony and their failed live-service game.
As a gaming enthusiast, I can’t help but bring up my experience with Concord, a game developed by Sony that didn’t quite live up to expectations. It’s been making the rounds in the gaming community, and not for good reasons. The whispers suggest that this failed online service game set Sony back a whopping $200 million – an investment they won’t be able to recover because, let’s face it, Concord is history now, and it’s not making a comeback.
Directly addressing the topic, Sony’s President, COO, and CFO, Hiroki Totoki, spoke candidly when questioned about it during a recent Q&A session accompanying Sony’s quarterly financial report.
Sony President Hiroki Totoki Thinks PlayStation Should Have Done More Checks On Concord
As suggested by Totoki, Sony Interactive Entertainment (Sony’s PlayStation division) may benefit from conducting thorough user tests and evaluations to avoid incidents similar to Concord in the future. Translated by Genki, Totoki explains that they must scrutinize their processes more carefully, ensuring potential issues are identified and deemed acceptable by users. He emphasizes the need for additional data to guide better decision-making and advocates a return to fundamentals, aiming for stronger foundations in the future.
Totoki believes it would have been beneficial to establish selection criteria for release windows earlier, taking into account not just our own games but also third-party releases. This way, we can avoid sales cannibalization and instead aim for maximization. Moreover, a more integrated organizational structure, where development and sales transcend departmental boundaries, could have resulted in a smoother process.
I can’t argue against Totoki’s point. Despite being in open beta, Concord didn’t create much excitement, with the highest number of simultaneous players on Steam reaching only 2,300. This is a relatively small number, no matter how you look at it — especially considering that it’s developed with millions of dollars from Sony.
On our related site Game Rant, they commend the FPS game Concord for offering thrilling skills, fierce combat, and stunning graphics, implying that those willing to take a chance on Concord will find an exceptional experience. However, the general consensus among critics is not as favorable; Open Critic has given Concord a “Weak” rating, with merely 21% of them suggesting it for play.
In the gaming world, Concord could potentially set a new record for the shortest lifespan of a game. It was released on August 23, 2024, and its servers ceased operation just 14 days later on September 6, 2024.
I’m crossing my fingers that the upcoming live-service game from Bungie, named “Marathon,” by Sony, turns out to be a significant success. It seems they could benefit from avoiding another significant setback like this one.
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2024-11-09 21:38