In an absolutely shocking turn of events, Sony’s recent gaming disaster Concord is to be taken offline later this week, just two weeks after its launch. Sales of Concord will also be ceasing immediately, with full refunds given to all players across both PC and PS5. This monumental news comes amidst mass reporting of the game’s incredibly low player count, and mixed (at best) critical reception.
The news comes direct from Sony’s PlayStation Blog, in a lengthy post labelled as ‘an important update on Concord’. The post thanks the community that the game has for their support, but affirms that the best course of action is the removal of the game from storefronts at present while the company “explore options” for the future of Concord. They also clarify that refunds will be provided automatically by Sony’s own PlayStation Store, as well as both Steam and Epic Games Store. Copies purchased from other retailers, such as physical copies, will need to contact their point of purchase to refund the game.
There’s no hint yet as to what the future of Concord could actually manifest itself as, and the options are plentiful. The game could return as an upgraded and improved game, it could return as free-to-play and full of microtransactions similar to its inspiration of Overwatch, or it could remain offline forever and Sony hopes to quietly pull the plug behind the scenes. After such a huge investment has been made by the company into live-service gaming and long-term plans to focus on engagement in games, this is a stunning move that’s sure to have severe ramifications across the industry.
What do you think this news means for the future of Sony’s live-service plans? Did you expect to see the end of Concord so soon? Let us know in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more breaking gaming news and coverage.
