In a move that did not come as a surprise to the gaming community, Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that the recently launched, pay-per-view hero shooter Concord will be discontinued. The announcement comes after the game failed to make a significant impact, with a peak concurrent player count on Steam at only 697. The announcement was made following a long development period of eight years and a reported budget exceeding $100 million.
Community Reaction
Despite the official announcement on PlayStation’s Twitter account closing comments on the game’s discontinuation, the community has not been deterred from discussing the game’s downfall. The hashtag #Concord has taken the top spot on Twitter’s gaming trends, with players sharing their thoughts on the game’s failure, despite some noting that Concord was a good game that just didn’t find the right audience.
In the Reddit gaming community, discussions on the game’s announcement and the decision to refund players were temporarily locked to manage the influx of new members interested in the game. The number of active participants in the Concord subreddit has surpassed the game’s sales, with 45,000 members compared to 25,000 copies sold, indicating a strong community interest in the game’s closure.
Developer’s Response
Sony’s official stance has been to minimize the discussion around the game’s failure, as seen in the comments section of the PlayStation Twitter announcement. This has led to a more spirited conversation taking place outside the official channels, with players expressing their disappointment and some defending the game against criticism.
Impact on Amazon’s Secret Levels Series
The situation has taken a peculiar turn with the announcement of a new anime series centered around the game Concord at the recent Cologne Game Show. Titled Secret Levels, the series is being produced by the team behind the critically acclaimed Love, Death & Robots. One episode of the series is set to be based on Concord, adding a layer of irony to the situation.
Fan Reaction
While some fans have criticized the game’s community for homophobia and other perceived design flaws, the majority of the community is expressing disappointment at the game’s premature end. There are concerns that the game’s failure was not due to the game’s quality, but rather the lack of support from the community that the game developers hoped for.
Future Prospects
The future of Secret Levels and its Concord episode is uncertain, with the game’s closure leaving many to speculate on the fate of the series. Some fans have humorously pondered what might have been if Concord had enjoyed success, leading to a game-to-series-to-game scenario.
Analysis
Concord serves as a cautionary tale for the gaming industry, highlighting the importance of market research and understanding the audience before launching a product. Despite its high development costs and lengthy production period, the game failed to resonate with players, leading to its discontinuation. The game’s community, while small, has shown a strong interest and support, which is a testament to the passion that exists in the gaming community. The situation also raises questions about the impact of community feedback on game development and the challenges of adapting a game to a different medium, such as television, when the source material is no longer available.
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