Concord failed spectalularly. But why? Was it the character designs? The unappealing gameplay? The price tag? Fans have been left wondering.

Concord and Stellar Blade

Concord is facing one of the biggest flops in gaming history as Sony shuts down the game 11 days after release. The game had numerous issues from pricing to its unimpressive gameplay and characters. And now the 8 years of development and the development cost go to waste.

A still from Firewalk Studios' ConcordA great number of problems led to the cancellation of Concord. | Image Credit: Firewalk Studios

One of the main criticisms players had was about what they deemed “ugly” designs. However, in an alternate universe, different character designs could have potentially saved the game from its unfortunate fate. Although even that is a bit of a stretch.

Could Concord‘s Failure Have Been Averted?


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A recent post on X (formerly Twitter) joked about how different character designs “could have saved Concord.” The post featured a redesign of the character Daw as a female wearing a revealing outfit.

The proposed redesign in the post looks a lot like something right out of Stellar Blade, a game that also largely featured similar character designs.

Daw’s original design was a point of contention among gamers. Portrayed as a morbidly obese character with “he/him” pronouns, Daw did not resonate well with the audience. The criticism wasn’t solely about his physical appearance but also the execution of his character design, which many found lacking in appeal and creativity.

One of the key problems of the game was its overdesigned characters that, ironically, lacked personality. Daw’s original design was criticized for being both uninspired and overly busy, with mismatched colors and unappealing textures.

The backlash that the game’s character design got isn’t unfounded. From the game’s early trailers, fans were left puzzled by the bland, over-designed appearances of its heroes. Compared to the designs in games like Overwatch or Apex Legends, it seemed like a misstep.

That Game Might Have Tried Too Hard

A still from Firewalk Studios' ConcordThe game will be remembered throughout history for its blunder. | Image Credit: Firewalk Studios

It’s definitely possible that the game’s developers aimed to be inclusive and representative while designing the characters. It’s a good idea and one that many other creators in entertainment have tried, the execution left a lot to be desired. And now it’s getting shut down and we’ll never know.

The result of this effort was characters that looked so out there that nothing about them made sense. Many players felt that the character designs, while progressive, were visually unappealing because of it.

One can’t help but wonder how different things might have been for the game if the game’s characters had completely different designs. It wouldn’t have changed any of the fundamental problems that the game has but maybe it could’ve boosted sales a little and saved it from getting cancelled.

The failure of Concord wasn’t due to its inclusivity or live-service model alone; it was also a failure of design. And the game will be remembered for a long time as the prime example of what not to do.

Did you try Concord for yourself? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!