Can Concord make a comeback? There’s still hope for PS5’s failed shooter

Only two weeks after launch, PlayStation made the shocking decision to shut down Concord. Firewalk Studios’ much-derided hero shooter had a disastrous launch, one that analysts estimated only 25,000 players picked up, according to IGN. In a PlayStation Blog post, game director Ryan Ellis was transparent about the fact that “aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended” and that Firewalk will shut the game down on September 6 to “explore options, including those that will better reach our players.”

It’s possible that Concord will never return, or that it will become the video game industry’s next comeback story. I didn’t like what I played of Concord during its beta, but I understand that some players see the potential of this first-person shooter that found a middle ground between Destiny and Overwatch. There are steps Firewalk can take to give Concord a second chance at life, even if its fate is ultimately in the hands of players if it ever comes back.

I echo my colleague Giovanni Colantonio wrote about the failure of Concord shortly after its release: We can critique its lack of original ideas and premium release model, but generally, apathy was Concord’s greatest enemy. If Firewalk and Sony want people to care about Concord, overcoming that apathy will be the greatest challenge in giving Concord a second wind.

Is a comeback possible?

So, what does the path to rehabilitating Concord look like? There are no easy answers, especially with a game that was functionally dead on arrival. Still, history shows us that it can be done. So where could Sony make an impact?

Most crucially, Concord needs a better sales pitch. It was billed as a sci-fi hero shooter with weekly cutscenes, but that wasn’t appealing enough. Why should players care about Concord? That’s something Sony has struggled to get across, but it needs a better answer. If Firewalk wants to emphasize its characters and narrative, those need to be a priority rather than slow