Concord Faces Early Shutdown as PlayStation Issues Refunds and Reassesses Future Plans

This week marks a significant change as Concord is being removed from circulation, and refunds are being processed as PlayStation seeks to find the most effective way forward.

After just under two weeks available to the public, the newly released hero shooter Concord will be taken offline. Ryan Ellis, the game director at Firewalk Studios, shared in a recent update on the PlayStation Blog that some elements of the game and its initial launch did not resonate as they had hoped. As a result, the decision has been made to take the game offline starting September 6, with all players who purchased it on PS5 or PC receiving refunds.

Ellis stated that while they chart a new course, sales of Concord will end immediately, and a full refund will be provided for all customers who bought the game for PS5 or PC. Those who acquired it through the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct will see their refunds processed back to their original payment modes.

Concord has had a long development journey of eight years, followed by a beta test in July, leading up to its release on PS5 and PC on August 23. Although exact player counts are not disclosed by PlayStation, the game's performance on Steam was notably poor. With the decision to take it offline and initiate refunds for all buyers, it is evident that the game's reception was far from favorable across all platforms.

Our review of Concord described the FPS as a challenging proposition in its current form, mentioning that it leaves an unsatisfactory first impression, despite having a promising foundation with a dynamic class-swapping feature and striking visuals. Overall, reviews have been lukewarm, and this sudden removal from the market is unprecedented in today’s live-service gaming landscape. PlayStation had previously outlined a roadmap for Concord which now appears to be completely abandoned as we await further updates regarding its future.

For now, here are some top FPS titles to explore while the situation with Concord unfolds.