Sony is taking Concord, its latest PlayStation game, offline on September 6th, following poor sales of the game. The first-person hero shooter launched exclusively on PS5 and PC on August 23rd, but estimates have put sales at under 25,000. Concord also only managed to hit an all-time peak of 697 players on Steam, lower than the launch peak of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum — widely regarded as the worst game of 2023.
“We have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players,” says Concord game director Ryan Ellis in a PlayStation blog post. “While we determine the best path ahead, Concord sales will cease immediately and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC.”
If you purchased the game for PS5 from the PlayStation Store, a refund will be issued to your original payment method. If you purchased Concord on Steam, you’ll get a refund in the coming days, and the same will occur on the Epic Games Store.
Concord launched as a $40 game after eight years of development and went up against many free-to-play alternatives like Overwatch and even Valorant in the competitive hero shooter genre. It has ultimately failed to compete as a paid game, especially without a unique selling point.
Firewalk Studios’ mention of options “that will better reach our players” and the refunds make it seem like Concord, if it does return, will move to a free-to-play model. “We’ll keep you updated and thank you again to all the Freegunners who have joined us in the Concord galaxy,” says Ellis.
