Concord’s Shocking Demise: Internet’s Harshest Reactions and Fallout

Sony and developer Firewalk Studios have done the unthinkable – they’re shutting down Concord, a hero shooter that was meant to be a big live-service game. Yeah, I know, it’s tough to believe. Concord is essentially a non-Guardians of the Galaxy shooter that’s been flopping hard since its August 23 launch. Sony spent a lot of time and money on this game as part of its live-service push, and it just can’t seem to gain traction.

The team has announced that the shutdown is temporary, and they’ll be exploring options for the game’s future. What that means is anyone’s guess, but if they’re smart, they’ll take the game free-to-play to get rid of the $40 price tag and see if they can revive it. Because at this point, what have they got to lose, right?

The bigger implications here are for the entire gaming industry. Concord wasn’t the only recent PS5 game to struggle; Sony’s also canceled its service game based on The Last of Us and laid off staff at Bungie. It’s becoming clear that the PlayStation has a quality control problem – and it’s affecting gamers’ trust in the platform.

But hey, fans of the game aren’t the only ones hurting here. The developers, designers, and artists who put their hearts and souls into Concord are probably reeling from this news. Remember when games were a creative passion project, and people played them because they were good, not because of some corporate mandate?

Maybe Sony will learn from Concord’s failure and course-correct. Maybe the developers will find a way to revive the game or at least salvage some of their work. Or maybe – just maybe – we’ll see a new kind of gaming landscape emerge, where passion and creativity trump business decisions.

What do you think, folks? Was Concord doomed from the start, or could it have been saved?