If you haven’t heard the absolutely mind-boggling announcement from Sony, you should know that Concord is shutting down completely. They’re not just ceasing ongoing development or canceling future content, they’re going nuclear with the arena shooter. So, what does that mean for you? What does it mean for those who paid for the game?
Can You Still Play Concord?
Unfortunately, in canceling the game, they took down the servers altogether. You can’t join a game if you own a copy and still have it installed, and you currently cannot buy it. Sony took down the store page on Steam, and over on the PlayStation Store, it’s listed as “Announced” with a release date of 8/23/2024.
In its announcement, Sony said:
Concord fans — we’ve been listening closely to your feedback since the launch of Concord on PlayStation 5 and PC and want to thank everyone who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar. Your support and the passionate community that has grown around the game has meant the world to us.
However, while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended. Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players.
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 PlayStation 5 from the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct, a refund will be issued back to your original payment method.
While it’s fantastic to hear that those who paid for a copy will receive a full refund, it still sucks for those players who were genuinely excited about the game. While it certainly didn’t sell well, Concord was entertaining, though it didn’t break the mold. The studio was chasing a trend from years prior and was too slow to capitalize.
Will Concord Return?
It’s certainly possible that Sony will decide to bring Concord back online with a total revamp and a better roadmap. If they do, I suspect it’ll launch as a free-to-play game instead of a paid title. Based on the wording in the announcement, Sony wishes to “explore options” to determine how best to move forward with the project. After all, it spent years in development.
According to analysts, Concord only sold approximately 25,000 copies, which makes it a failure on all accounts. We’re all curious to see how Sony will proceed with this one.
I’m very sad about this. I know this game wasn’t very original but for the first time in my life, I was having fun in a pvp game. I’ve tried them all but none hooked me. In Concord, I loved the characters, the gunplay and the wacky scifi theme a la Guardians of the Galaxy. I doubt I’ll ever find this enjoyment in another pvp game.