Despite its swift demise, Sony's Concord continues to receive updates on Steam, sparking considerable speculation among gamers. This article explores these updates and the potential implications for the game's future.
Concord's SteamDB Update Mystery
Free-to-Play Resurgence? Gameplay Overhaul? Theories Abound
Remember Concord, the hero-shooter that fizzled out almost immediately? Despite its official delisting on September 6th, its Steam page shows a surprising number of recent updates.
Since September 29th, SteamDB logs indicate over 20 updates, attributed to accounts like "pmtest," "sonyqae," and "sonyqae_shipping." These account names suggest a focus on backend adjustments and improvements, with "QAE" possibly referring to "Quality Assurance Engineer."
Concord's August launch was a high-profile flop. Its $40 price tag proved a significant hurdle in a market dominated by free-to-play giants like Overwatch, Valorant, and Apex Legends. The game quickly tanked, prompting Sony to pull it from stores and issue refunds within weeks. Poor reviews and a lack of player engagement sealed its fate.
So why the continued updates? Ryan Ellis, former Firewalk Studios Game Director, hinted at exploring alternative strategies in the shutdown announcement, including options to better reach players. This has fueled speculation of a potential relaunch, possibly as a free-to-play title. This could address the pricing concerns that contributed to its initial failure.
Given Sony's reported investment of up to $400 million in Concord, attempts to salvage the project aren't unexpected. The ongoing updates suggest a possibility of significant retooling, including new features and gameplay improvements to address criticisms of underwhelming characters and uninspired design.
However, Sony remains silent on Concord's future. The possibility of a revamped game with enhanced mechanics, broader appeal, or a different monetization model remains purely speculative. Even a free-to-play transition would face a challenging uphill battle in a saturated market.
Currently, Concord remains unavailable, and official announcements are pending. Only time will reveal if these speculations hold any truth or if Concord will ever truly recover from its disastrous debut.
