Concord, despite its short-lived presence in stores, continues to receive updates on Steam, sparking curiosity and speculation about its future. Dive into the details of these updates and the theories surrounding them.
Concord SteamDB Updates Ignite Speculations
Will Concord Become Free-to-Play? Get Improved Gameplay? Speculations Arise
Remember Concord? The hero-shooter that launched with a whimper rather than a bang? Despite being officially offline since September 6th, Concord's Steam page has been buzzing with activity.
Since September 29, SteamDB has logged over 20 updates for Concord. These updates have been pushed by accounts such as "pmtest," "sonyqae," and "sonyqae_shipping." The names of these accounts suggest that the updates might be focused on backend fixes and enhancements, with "QAE" likely standing for "Quality Assurance Engineer."
When Concord debuted in August, it aimed to disrupt the hero shooter market with a $40 price tag—a bold move given the dominance of free-to-play giants like Overwatch, Valorant, and Apex Legends. Unfortunately, the launch was a complete letdown. Just two weeks after its release, Sony pulled the game and issued refunds to all players. The player base was minuscule, and interest was virtually non-existent. The game was widely considered dead on arrival, with poor ratings across the board.
So, why is a game that flopped so spectacularly still receiving updates? In the shutdown announcement, Ryan Ellis, then-Firewalk Studios Game Director, mentioned that they would "explore options, including those that will better reach our players." This has led to widespread speculation among gamers that Concord might be preparing for a comeback. Many believe the updates hint at a potential relaunch, possibly as a free-to-play title, which would eliminate the criticized paid entry barrier.
Sony has poured a substantial amount into Concord—reportedly up to $400 million—so it's not surprising that they might be looking to salvage their investment. With the ongoing updates, some speculate that Firewalk Studios is using this time to overhaul the game, potentially introducing new features and addressing the initial criticisms, which included lackluster characters and uninspired gameplay design.
Of course, nothing is set in stone yet. Sony has kept quiet about its plans for Concord. Could it return with enhanced mechanics, a wider appeal, or a different monetization model? Only those within Firewalk Studios and Sony have the answers for now. However, even if Concord relaunches as free-to-play, it will face stiff competition in an already saturated genre.
For the time being, Concord remains unavailable for purchase, and Sony has not made any official statements about its future. Only time will tell if these speculations hold any truth or if Concord will ever recover from its initial failure.
