Sony's latest big release, Concord, hit the shelves last week on PS5 and PC. Despite being an exciting and visually impressive online shooter, the game appears to be struggling, with early numbers suggesting that very few people are playing it.
A promising start followed by disappointing numbers
Concord was first introduced with a brief teaser last year, followed by a more detailed reveal in May through a CG trailer that didn't resonate with fans. However, a subsequent gameplay video showed more promise. This sci-fi PVP online-only FPS isn't free-to-play, with a US$40 price tag attached. During the beta phase in July, there were concerns about how the price might affect its reception in a crowded market. Now, with the game officially out, the numbers are in, and Concord could be one of the most disappointing launches of 2024.
Concord launched on both PC via Steam and PS5, giving us a clear view of its performance. Steam.db, a website that tracks player numbers on Steam, paints a grim picture of Sony's new shooter.
Barely anyone is playing Concord on Steam
As of August 26, Concord has yet to surpass 1,000 concurrent players on Steam. The highest number of players recorded at once is just 697. For comparison, another PlayStation-published co-op shooter, Helldivers 2, averages around 18,000 active players daily, with a peak of 450,000. Even Valve's unfinished shooter, Deadlock, has over 80,000 players.
While it's important to note that a high player count isn't the only measure of a game's success, it is crucial for an online-only multiplayer shooter like Concord, which relies on a robust player base to function. On PS5, where Sony does not publicly share player data, the game's performance can be gauged by its position on PlayStation's best-seller list. Concord currently sits at 37th on the PSN best-sellers list, which is underwhelming for a new PlayStation exclusive.
This ranking might be acceptable for a game from a smaller publisher, but Concord is Sony's latest exclusive, and it's not resonating with players as much as previous hits like God of War and The Last of Us have.
What's next for Concord?
So, what's Concord's future? It's unclear, but there are some possible moves Sony might make. One likely scenario is the introduction of free weekends to encourage more people to try the game. However, it might also be time for Sony to acknowledge that the US$40 price tag was a misstep. The game could be re-released as a free-to-play title or offered free to all PS Plus subscribers for a limited time.
Without a significant shift in strategy, Concord risks fading into obscurity, leaving only a small group of dedicated fans still playing in the coming weeks.
