Concord Flops at Launch: What Went Wrong?
In the past week, Concord, Sony’s newly-launched multiplayer shooter, has sparked a lot of online discussion. However, the buzz isn’t about its gameplay or innovative features—it’s about its shockingly low player base. Despite its status as a first-party Sony title, Concord has failed to gain traction, and its disastrous launch numbers have become a focal point of concern.
Upon its August 23 debut, Concord saw a dismal peak of just 697 concurrent players on Steam. The situation hasn’t improved since, with a mere 130 players online at the time of this writing. These are concerning figures, especially for a high-profile Sony game. While many games struggle at launch, the failure of Concord has stood out due to its poor performance despite significant backing from one of the industry’s biggest names. Critics haven’t been overwhelmingly negative (IGN gave it a 7/10, deeming it “good”), yet the player numbers suggest a severe disconnect between reviews and consumer interest.
Is Concord Really Doing That Badly?
Unfortunately for Sony, the answer appears to be a resounding “yes.” Liam Deane, a principal analyst at Omdia, confirmed that Concord’s failure is not just a misinterpretation of the numbers. “The Steam numbers are so bad that even without PS5 data, we can be fairly certain the game is doing very badly,” he said.
On the PlayStation side, Circana analyst Mat Piscatella offered some insight, referencing Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker. He revealed that on Monday, August 26, Concord ranked 147th in daily active PS5 players in the U.S., representing less than 0.2% of active PS5 players. Simon Carless, who authors the GameDiscover.co newsletter, estimated total sales at around 10,000 units on Steam and 15,000 on PlayStation as of Wednesday, August 28.
According to analysts, the game’s struggle highlights the risky nature of pivoting toward live-service games. “Pivoting to live services is high-risk, high-reward, and the risk is heightening to levels that might not be worth it for many AAA publishers,” Carless explained.
What Went Wrong?
The failure of Concord can be attributed to several factors. Sony seemingly opted for a low-key marketing campaign, leaving many players unaware of the game’s release. Additionally, Concord was priced at a premium despite competing in a genre dominated by successful free-to-play titles. These missteps, combined with its lack of standout features in an oversaturated market, meant that Concord faced an uphill battle from the start.
While the game’s disappointing launch numbers have surprised many, the broader issue may be Sony’s strategic misjudgment in releasing a game without ensuring it had the support needed to thrive. The failure of Concord reflects the growing difficulty in launching multiplayer shooters, where competition is fierce and success depends on more than just being a first-party title with solid production values.
As Piscatella succinctly put it, “Sometimes everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Although it’s quite rare to see everything go this wrong.”
Concord’s story is a reminder that even high-profile games are not immune to the challenges of the modern gaming landscape, where live-service models are unpredictable and competition is intense.
