Sony's 'Concord' Gets Ongoing Steam Updates Despite Failure

Despite its swift demise, Concord, Sony's ill-fated hero shooter, continues to receive updates on Steam. This unexpected activity has sparked significant speculation among gamers. Let's delve into the ongoing updates and the theories surrounding them.

Concord's SteamDB Updates Fuel Speculation: Free-to-Play Resurgence?

Remember Concord? The hero shooter that fizzled out almost immediately? Although officially discontinued since September 6th, its Steam page shows consistent updates. SteamDB logs over 20 updates since September 29th, attributed to accounts like "pmtest," "sonyqae," and "sonyqae_shipping." These account names suggest a focus on backend fixes and improvements, with "QAE" possibly indicating "Quality Assurance Engineer."

Concord's August launch, priced at $40, was a significant gamble against established free-to-play competitors like Overwatch, Valorant, and Apex Legends. The result? A catastrophic failure. Within two weeks, Sony pulled the game and issued refunds. The player base was negligible, and reviews were overwhelmingly negative.

The continued updates are puzzling. Ryan Ellis, the former Firewalk Studios Game Director, hinted at exploring alternative strategies in the shutdown announcement, including methods to better reach players. This fuels speculation of a potential comeback, possibly as a free-to-play title. This would address the high price point that many criticized.

Sony's substantial investment—reportedly up to $400 million—makes a salvage attempt understandable. The ongoing updates suggest Firewalk Studios might be overhauling the game, adding features, and addressing initial criticisms such as weak character design and uninspired gameplay.

However, these are just speculations. Sony remains silent on Concord's future. Will it return with refined mechanics, broader appeal, or a revised monetization strategy? Only Firewalk Studios and Sony possess that knowledge. Even a free-to-play relaunch would face a challenging uphill battle in a saturated market.

Currently, Concord is unavailable for purchase, and Sony offers no official updates. The future of Concord remains uncertain, leaving its fate hanging in the balance.