If you’re looking to spend endless hours playing the perfect hero shooter, and that too from Firewalk Studios, then Concord might seem like the game for you. It’s definitely making waves in the gaming world, and something Sony’s publishers likely anticipated. Yet, the game is struggling to reach the heights expected of it. Instead, it’s spiraling downwards, or as Nyx from Paladins puts it, “Into the Abyss.” But why is this fan favorite taking such a deep dive? What’s causing Concord to fail?
Concord’s downfall boils down to two key factors:
- The development team took far too long to move from the alpha phase to the beta version, making it late to the party.
- Hero shooters were a trend back in the day, but the genre has since been compromised due to the high costs associated with it.
There are now plenty of games, both released and in development, that offer a much more enjoyable experience than Concord.
Here are a few possible reasons why Concord could be turning into a complete failure:
The Biggest Setback – It’s Overpriced & Not Free-to-Play
When it comes to Concord, pricing is just one of those major turn-offs.
The game is simply overpriced… $40 for a hero shooter? No way. Gamers can easily grab plenty of other hero shooters off the shelf for free, offering more or less the same or even better experience than Concord. So why should they settle for an overpriced version at $40?
Like most hero shooters, people usually start with a free version, develop a taste for the combat mechanics, gameplay, and maps, and later decide to invest in cosmetics or other intriguing accessories.
But paying $40 upfront as an entry price? That’s just not something content creators are on board with.
Besides, with only 25,000 copies circulating, the community isn’t strong on streaming, and the game’s followership also suffers. It’s simply not an investment people are eager to make. Meanwhile, plenty of free-to-play games allow players to jump right in and later decide if the experience is worth any high costs.
For now, the price tag is something both content creators and the wider gaming community aren’t interested in paying for this new game.
There Was Just Something Totally Off About the Hero Designs
One of the major problems with the game was the oddly designed heroes.
The game tries to bring back the past by introducing some 70s sci-fi heroes, but it apparently didn’t resonate well with present-day Generation Zers.
They are more accustomed to characters from Fortnite, Overwatch, or other games with vibrant models. Something dating back 40 years just wasn’t meeting the standards.
While the main concern was never “diversity,” as many have voiced on Reddit and across the internet, it seemed that the developers didn’t put much effort into designing characters up to par.
All you have to do is check Overwatch. See how every character’s aesthetic is done attractively!
Some characters alone take center stage in terms of appeal, like Reinhardt with his bulbous armor or Doomfist with an arm that looks straight out of Space Marine 2.
Hero design is significant, especially in a Hero Shooter, and if they aren’t appealing, then hate to break it, but the game is just… a complete flop!
The Game Took an Awfully Long to Develop
Indeed, Firewalk has been working hard to release the game over the years. After all, they spent an awfully long time… 8 years, that’s quite the long walk.
Apparently, it’s just too late because the hero shooter sort of got nerfed with more engaging titles like Paladins and Overwatch.
There’s no denying that the game went into production right around the time Overwatch hit the market, and as expected, players were aiming to see its release after a year or so.
However, 7 long years is just too long… where Overwatch 2 and other games like Valorant already released & dominated the market.
That’s an awfully long time, and apparently, when a publisher does something like this, people end up thinking the game might have experienced a lot of development hitches.
They Just Didn’t Put Enough Effort in Marketing the Game!
We saw how the game’s existing marketing team put very little effort into pushing the game among the target audience. This was evident when the first official trailer was released just 2 months before the game appeared on the market. After the big release, it seemed the publishers lost interest and made little to no effort to invest more in the game’s marketing. It’s as if they had already realized the game wasn’t going to fare well for business in the long run.
As a result, the game was unable to create significant awareness. Many people never seemed to have heard of it, or at the very least, had no clue that it had even been released.
Gameplay Didn’t Stand Out
Last but not least—and it’s hard to say this out loud—but the gameplay just didn’t sit right.
Even though Concord is mechanically sound and fun as a hero-shooter, it brings nothing new to the table.
For many players, the gameplay feels like something they’ve experienced repeatedly while playing free versions of Paladins, Valorant, and Overwatch. Moreover, the tight-knit community was already closed off, and there weren’t enough experienced players around, unlike what you’d find in those free alternatives.
Imagine, why would someone pay $40 for a game with a small player base when free counterparts have evergreen communities with millions logging in daily? Concord simply failed to achieve the winning gesture from players and lagged behind.
The Bottomline
In the end, all that we can say is Concord’s downfall seems inevitable, a result of missteps in pricing, uninspired hero design, delayed development, and lackluster marketing. In a genre dominated by free-to-play games with vibrant communities, it simply couldn’t offer enough to justify its steep price tag or stand out against competitors. While it may have some redeeming qualities, Concord ultimately feels like a missed opportunity—one that arrived too late and without the impact it needed to thrive.
