We’ve heard some really shocking things about Concord following its launch at the end of August. Very recently it was noted that the game sold incredibly poorly, with around 25,000 units shipped in its first week, and seemingly there was some truth to this because now Sony and Firewalk Studios has dropped a bombshell and basically admitted that the game has failed what it set out to achieve.
In a new PlayStation Blog post, game director Ryan Ellis states: “Concord fans — we’ve been listening closely to your feedback since the launch of Concord on PlayStation 5 and PC and want to thank everyone who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar. Your support and the passionate community that has grown around the game has meant the world to us.
“However, while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended. Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players.”
Yep, that’s right, Concord is being taken offline and basically shut down. It’s unclear if this will be a permanent shut down or simply temporary while the studio explores the other options Ellis notes in the above statement, but considering Concord has barely had two weeks in the wild, it’s hard to see this as anything other than a catastrophic failure and likely the end of this live-service project.
For the (few) who picked up a copy of Concord and are wondering what this means for them, full refunds are being issued. If you purchased through the PlayStation Store or Direct, the refunds will go straight back into the account you used to acquire the game. For Steam users, Steam will send refund confirmation in the coming days, and for Epic Games Store users, the same process will apply. Other retailers will also have their own methods of returning the funds back to the purchaser.
It should be noted however that if you do have the slightest bit of faith that Concord will one day return, you shouldn’t refund it now as once that has gone through, you will lose access to the game.
The blog post signs off with: “We’ll keep you updated and thank you again to all the Freegunners who have joined us in the Concord galaxy.”
R.I.P. Concord: August 23, 2024 – September 3, 2024.