PlayStation Pulls ‘Concord’ Two Weeks After Launch, Offers Full Refunds

In a surprising move, PlayStation has announced that its newly released live-service game, "Concord," developed by Firewalk Studios, will be taken offline this Friday, just two weeks after its launch on August 23rd. The decision comes amidst reports of a disappointingly small player base and widespread criticism.

“Concord,” a team-based first-person shooter, struggled to attract and retain players since its release on PlayStation 5 and PC. According to data from SteamDB, a third-party PC gaming analytics site, the game had only 30 concurrent players online as of Tuesday. The peak player count reached just 697, an alarmingly low number for a new PlayStation title, especially one that was positioned to be a competitor in the popular live-service game market. These figures also reflected poorly on PlayStation's weekly sales charts, where “Concord” languished near the bottom.

A New Space Outlaws Shooter Fails to Take Off

“Concord” allowed players to form crews of Freegunner space outlaws aboard the spaceship Northstar, engaging in 5v5 online battles. While the concept drew early comparisons to the popular multiplayer shooter "Overwatch," the game failed to sustain interest. With such a low player count, finding matches became increasingly difficult, frustrating the small community of players who did engage with the game.

The low engagement was a major factor leading to PlayStation's decision to shut down the game. Firewalk Studios’ game director, Ryan Ellis, acknowledged the issues in a blog post published on PlayStation’s website:

“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,” Ellis wrote. “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.”

Full Refunds to Be Issued

As part of the shutdown, all sales of "Concord" will cease immediately. PlayStation will provide full refunds to all players who purchased the game on either PS5 or PC. Customers who bought the game through the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct will automatically receive a refund to their original payment method. For those who bought it via Steam, the Epic Games Store, or physical retailers, refunds will be handled through those respective platforms. Following the refund process, players will lose access to the game.

While Firewalk Studios and PlayStation explore alternative options for the game's future, "Concord" will remain a reminder of the challenges facing new live-service games in a competitive market.