The Fall and Continued Fall of Concord

As someone who has followed the gaming industry for decades and has seen its fair share of triumphs and failures, I find the situation with Concord’s game truly disheartening. Having closely watched Bungie’s journey with Destiny, I can’t help but see a striking resemblance in the reported toxic positivity and overconfidence that seems to have plagued another studio.

In the world of video games, it’s often thought that certain titles might experience a comeback or second chance – essentially, a redo. Games like Destiny 1 and 2, The Division, No Man’s Sky, Halo Infinite, among others, have demonstrated this possibility. They’ve shown that games can emerge from adversity, meet their expectations, and even thrive, ultimately overshadowing any past controversies.

In essence, the evidence from recent years shows that success is typically the exception rather than the norm. You typically only get one chance to make a strong first impression, and after that, it’s usually game over. For instance, games like Marvel’s Avengers, Redfall, Skull and Bones, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Overkill’s The Walking Dead, and now Firewalk Studios’ Concord have unfortunately failed to deliver.

For those who might not be aware or have forgotten (and it’s understandable!), the multiplayer shooting game was released on August 23rd, available on PS5 and PC. Unfortunately, it was pulled from sale only 14 days later, on September 6th, with servers being shut down as well. Although critics gave mixed reviews, sales seemed disappointingly low – analyst Simon Carless estimated that around 25,000 copies were sold.

Stating that Sony’s latest release is one of their biggest flops in years doesn’t quite capture its magnitude – it stands out as one of the most significant blunders by a first-party developer in gaming history. Furthermore, the game was developed over an eight-year period, as disclosed by the lead character designer Jon Weisnewski. Additionally, despite being priced lower than many triple-A games this generation, it’s still significantly more expensive compared to its competitors.

Absolutely, it seems like Concord isn’t being abandoned, correct? Director Ryan Ellis mentioned they are examining potential solutions, such as those that could more effectively connect with their players. Although no specifics have been guaranteed, the team has promised to keep everyone informed about any developments. This hints at some sort of future plans for the game. It’s possible that Sony is reconsidering its approach and considering a free-to-play model. Or maybe they’ve realized the challenge of releasing another multiplayer shooter with hero shooter aspects in a competitive market, so they’re exploring something new instead.

It appears the situation with Ellis’ departure as game director, as reported by Kotaku’s Ethan Gach and corroborated by three sources, paints a more severe picture than initially perceived. There’s an unsettling uncertainty surrounding the studio’s future, with rumors of new project pitches that could take the studio in a completely different direction or potentially serving as a co-development partner for other first-party projects. However, there are also whispers of concern that Firewalk Studios might be shut down altogether. This fear is so palpable that some employees have already left and others are preparing for potential worst-case scenarios.

The Fall and Continued Fall of Concord

It’s understandable to have concerns given the circumstances. Firewalk, one of Sony’s costlier studios in terms of employee count (with around 150-170 team members), has faced troubles this year, including layoffs and scaling back live service plans, as evident by the closure of Sony London and the cancellation of their fantasy RPG project. Additionally, Concord’s failure and Sony’s own layoffs this year have added to the unease.

It appears that the closure of the multiplayer version of “The Last of Us,” according to Jason Schreier from Bloomberg, wasn’t a peaceful decision. He mentioned on the Friends Per Second podcast that there were consequences within Sony due to this move, and it had a development cycle of four years, significantly shorter than Concord’s eight. Essentially, things don’t seem promising for Firewalk Studios.

Discussing the game’s shortcomings, one might point out various aspects such as unimpressive character models, uninspiring equipment sets, and monotonous elements like Crew Bonuses and long-lasting deployable items. Additionally, the developer released weekly cinematic previews – scenes that added depth to the characters, although they didn’t necessarily contribute significantly to a grand storyline. While it’s intriguing in theory, these cinematics ultimately proved insignificant and an additional financial burden. It remains uncertain how well Firewalk’s prolonged production of such cinematics will fare when considering development expenses.

Despite the poor performance of Concord‘s sales, there has been debate over the game’s budget. A report by Colin Moriarty suggests that it cost around $400 million, but a culture of excessive optimism was also noted, dismissing any negative feedback. However, Ethan Gach could not verify the budget figure, but he did support the existence of this “toxic positivity”.

The Fall and Continued Fall of Concord

In my personal experience as a dedicated fan of the Destiny series, I find it disheartening to learn that some studios reportedly hold onto an attitude similar to Bungie’s, often referred to as a “head-in-the-sand” mentality, where they believe their team’s exceptional abilities will eventually bring success without the need for immediate action. This approach has been frustrating for many fans who have waited patiently over the years, despite accusations of toxicity, excessive monetization, and uninspiring content releases.

Bungie’s overconfidence has repeatedly caused trouble for the studio, exemplified by the reception of Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion. The unfavorable response to this expansion negatively affected the sales of The Final Shape, resulting in layoffs and a major reevaluation of the franchise’s future direction.

As a devoted admirer, I can’t help but notice a striking resemblance in philosophy with the game “Concord“. However, it lacks that special something to truly set it apart from the rest of the competition. It’s intriguing to ponder about the numerous transformations this title has undergone over the years; I often wonder how much valuable player and internal feedback was disregarded due to the team’s leadership allegedly believing they had all the answers. One would assume that, with decades of live service space failures behind us, both multiplayer and otherwise, the industry would have learned from its mistakes. Yet, it seems we haven’t quite grasped that lesson yet.

The future direction of Concord is uncertain for now, but if Firewalk’s pessimistic outlook proves accurate, it seems a comeback may not be in the cards. If Sony decides to break up the studio and redistribute its staff to work on different projects, that could be considered a reasonable resolution. It’s important to ensure that the artists, graphic designers, programmers, quality assurance testers, and others don’t bear the brunt of management’s errors.

The Fall and Continued Fall of Concord

Perhaps Fairgame$ might find value in incorporating some multiplayer skills down the line, but for now, that’s an issue the publisher will need to address at a later stage. Despite their current struggles with their live service model and multiple project cancellations, they haven’t offered much comfort or insight. No, we haven’t heard any statements like “We’ve learned from our errors and are concentrating on single-player games,” or even hints that future multiplayer titles will be managed differently.

Instead, there’s a mid-generation “upgrade” priced at around $700, along with speculations of remastered versions of “Horizon Zero Dawn” and “Days Gone”. However, no official announcements have been made about upcoming original first-party titles or expansions to existing franchises.

Instead of simply asserting that Sony is arrogant and making poor decisions by pushing the “Panic” button, a more nuanced approach would be to acknowledge its past success but also highlight its vulnerabilities. In essence, Sony, like any other major publisher or console manufacturer, can make mistakes despite its achievements in recent years (or even over the last three decades). The missteps made by Concord serve as proof that Sony is not infallible.

Please take note that the opinions presented in this piece are solely those of the writer. They do not reflect the collective viewpoint or attribution to GamingBolt as a whole.

2024-09-23 20:42

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