Concord's launch was met with silence and indifference, prompting a rapid server shutdown. Discover more about the game's abrupt closure.
Firewalk Studios' Freegunners Fails to Take Off, Servers Going Offline Two Weeks Post-Launch
Lack of Momentum Leads to Suspension
Firewalk Studios' 5v5 hero shooter Concord will be taken offline merely two weeks after its release. Game Director Ryan Ellis announced this decision on Tuesday, September 3rd, through the PlayStation Blog, acknowledging the game's failure to meet performance expectations.
"While certain aspects of the game resonated with players, we also recognize that other elements and our launch strategy did not achieve their intended impact," Ellis stated. "Consequently, we have decided to take the game offline starting September 6, 2024."
The announcement further detailed automatic refunds for all digital purchasers on Steam, Epic Games Store, and PlayStation Store, while physical copy owners were instructed to follow their retailer's return procedures.
From the outset, it was evident that Firewalk and Sony had broader ambitions for Concord. Sony's acquisition of Firewalk Studios demonstrated confidence in the team's potential, particularly given positive feedback from both Ellis and Studio Head Tony Hsu. The game was even slated for an episode in Prime Video's upcoming anthology series, Secret Level. Ellis had also outlined an extensive post-launch roadmap, including a planned first-season debut in October and weekly narrative cutscenes.
Unfortunately, the game's underwhelming performance necessitated a major strategy shift. Only three cutscenes were released—two during the beta phase and one shortly before the shutdown announcement—leaving the future of the characters' storylines uncertain in the coming weeks.
What Caused Concord's Downfall?
Concord's decline began immediately after launch. Despite an eight-year development period, the game failed to attract substantial player engagement. It struggled to maintain even a thousand concurrent players, peaking at just 697. As of now, only 45 players remain online. While these figures exclude PlayStation 5 users, they still represent a dramatic drop from the beta's peak of 2,388 players—far below expectations for a Sony-published AAA title.
Multiple factors contributed to Concord's anticipated failure. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad observed in a tweet that while the game featured solid mechanics and was "content complete," it lacked differentiation from established hero shooters, providing little reason for players to switch.
"The game didn't bring notable innovation, and its character designs felt uninspired," Ahmad commented. "It failed to stand out and seemed trapped in the Overwatch 1 era."
Furthermore, its $40 price point placed it at a competitive disadvantage against popular free-to-play titles like Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends, and Valorant. Combined with minimal marketing efforts, as Ahmad noted, "it's unsurprising that few players purchased it."
In his statement, Ryan Ellis mentioned that Firewalk Studios will "explore alternatives, including those that could better engage" players. A potential revival remains possible. The recent resurgence of MOBA hero shooter Gigantic demonstrates that discontinued games can find new audiences. By shifting from a live-service model to a buy-to-play format six years after its original shutdown, Gigantic showed that failed titles can be reinvented.
While some propose making Concord free-to-play, following Square Enix's Foamstars approach, this surface-level change wouldn't solve its fundamental problems: uninspired character designs and slow-paced gameplay. Many believe a comprehensive redesign, similar to Final Fantasy XIV's successful overhaul after its initial failure, would be necessary to rejuvenate the experience.
Game8 awarded Concord a score of 56/100, noting that "it's genuinely disappointing to witness eight years of development result in such a visually polished yet mechanically stagnant game." For additional insights, read our full review below!
