Concord has been a learning experience for the gaming world, and will remain so after it’s cancellation. Even other failures lasted longer than it.

Concord

Concord is getting shut down and has been one of the biggest flops gaming has seen. The game’s servers are set to go offline on September 6, 2024, after barely two weeks of availability. Its lifespan is truly shocking, considering other games that failed lasted longer than this.

An image of Concord from Firewalk Studios.The game lasted a total of 11 days. | Image Credit: Firewalk Studios.

Released on August 23, it was supposed to be Sony’s entry into the live service genre to compete with games like Overwatch and Apex Legends. The industry has recently pushed hard into live service games. But the speed of this game’s downfall raises serious questions about the viability of its strategy.

Concord Wasn’t The First To Fall But It Fell The Fastest


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An in-game screenshot of Helldivers 2 from Arrowhead Game Studios.

Concord was developed by Firewalk Studios and was in development for nearly eight years before its release. Despite the long development cycle, it managed to survive just 11 days on the market, an unprecedented flop for a first-party game.

The industry’s recent push into live-service games has seen other titles struggle as well, but this particular failure is notable for how rapidly it collapsed.

Fans have noted that even Platinum Games’ live-service failure lasted longer. Firewalk Studio’s game collapsed so quickly it’s almost unprecedented, especially for a Sony-backed title with the full weight of the PlayStation brand behind it.

In comparison, Babylon’s Fall, a live-service game by PlatinumGames, lasted six months, while Anthem, BioWare’s ill-fated shooter, has remained playable for over five years despite its commercial struggles.

The collapse of live-service games isn’t a new phenomenon. Games like Babylon’s Fall also faced early demises due to low player counts and underwhelming gameplay. While it managed to limp along for six months before being discontinued, Concord’s lifespan was shockingly brief.

Where Does The Industry Go From Here? Will We Ever Learn?

An image of Concord from Firewalk Studios.The live service genre claims another victim but when will devs learn? | Image Credit: Firewalk Studios.

A key reason behind the game’s failure appears to be its reliance on a now outdated trend. Hero shooters, once popularized by games like Overwatch, no longer hold the same appeal. By the time Concord hit the market, interest had shifted towards other genres, like battle royale or tactical shooters.

The developers who spent nearly a decade working on the game seemed to have misjudged the market’s shift. What could have been a successful game four or five years ago, landed with a thud in 2024, as players were drawn to other more established titles.

This failure also sheds light on the deeper issues of trend-chasing in the gaming industry. Over the past few years, many publishers have shifted to live-service models, hoping to replicate the financial success of games like Fortnite.

But as we see now, not every game can carve out a space in an increasingly saturated market. Gamers have limited time and money, and not everyone wants to play yet another live service game, especially one that doesn’t offer anything really new.

Did you play any of these games that have now failed? Let us know in the comments!