“This is only cosmetic – that you can purchase”: Firewalk’s Plan to Monetize Concord Further After a Price Tag of $40 Makes It Clear Why Sony Had to Shut It Down After 11 Days of Operation

Firewalk Studios’ Concord was launched on August 23, 2024, on PlayStation 5 and PC. The game took eight whole years to make, and only 11 days later, Sony shut it down. This makes it one of the swiftest closures for a game in recent memory.

A combination of underwhelming player numbers, monetization strategy, and a saturated market led to its swift demise. But there may have been signs pointing to this from the beginning. Firewalk’s monetization decisions and the $40 price tag can give us a little insight as to why exactly it all went wrong.

Right from the start, Concord was fighting an uphill battle. The game’s trailer, released in May 2024 during PlayStation’s State of Play, was impressive, but only visually. Fans compared it to other games at the time and noted that it lacked a unique identity.

The beta saw lackluster player numbers and it didn’t change even after the game was fully released. It peaked at just 697 players on Steam during its launch weekend. In an interview with Eurogamer, Firewalk’s director of IP Kim Kreines talked about the game’s monetization and PSN account requirement ahead of the release.

There’s additional cosmetic-only customisation options where you can further personalise your characters’ looks – this isn’t gameplay, this is only cosmetic – that you can purchase.

Priced at $40, the game offered players 16 characters, 12 maps, and six gameplay modes at launch. According to Kreines, all seasonal content, including new characters and maps, would be free.

Is Concord’s monetization impossible to profit from?
byu/-Xentios ingamedev

So, Concord would have heavily relied on game sales and cosmetic microtransactions for revenue. This “only cosmetic” approach failed to set Concord apart in an industry already saturated with hero shooters. Already existing games simply had better systems in place. And they were free.

Concord also faced backlash for its PlayStation Network (PSN) account requirement. On both PlayStation 5 and PC, players were required to link a PSN account for cross-play and cross-progression. This decision was immediately questioned as fans wondered why an account was needed for a multiplayer shooter.

Comparisons were drawn to Helldivers 2, which despite the PSN debacle, did not require an account for cross-play. The decision to push this PSN integration across platforms may have been well intended. For example, to unite the players. But in addition to the game’s other problems, it was just another point of frustration.

Comment
byu/Turbostrider27 from discussion
inGames

The hero shooter market is crowded, and Concord failed spectacularly. The criticism didn’t stop at things outside of the game. Players even criticized the characters and the gameplay mechanics. In hindsight, it’s so bizarre to think how no one saw this coming.

The game now will remain as a warning sign for what not to do when making a live service game. The decision to shut down the game in just 11 days shows that even Sony didn’t expect that big of a flaw in its approach to making a live service game.

Where does the game go from here? Where does the studio go from here? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!