Firewalk Studios’ Freegunners Fail to Fly, Servers to go Offline Two Weeks After LaunchNo Hype Leads to Hibernation

Firewalk Studios’ 5v5 hero shooter Concord is shutting down just two weeks after its launch. Game Director Ryan Ellis announced the decision on Tuesday, September 3rd, via the PlayStation Blog, citing the game’s inability to meet expectations.

"While many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize other aspects of the game and our launch didn’t land the way we’d intended," Ellis wrote. "Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024."

The statement then went on to detail automatic refunds for all players who purchased the game digitally on Steam, Epic Games Store, and the PlayStation Store, while those with physical copies were directed to follow their retailer’s return policy.

It’s clear from the outset that Firewalk and Sony aspired to achieve more with Concord. The acquisition of Firewalk Studios, a move driven by Sony’s faith in the studio’s potential, appeared encouraging, particularly considering the favorable feedback from both Ellis and Firewalk’s studio lead, Tony Hsu. The game was even slated to feature an episode in the forthcoming Prime Video anthology series, Secret Level. Furthermore, Ellis outlined an ambitious post-launch plan, including a scheduled first-season launch in October and regular cutscenes.

Regrettably, the game’s disappointing performance necessitated a substantial shift in strategy. They could only publish three cutscenes—two from the game's beta and one released shortly before the aforementioned announcement—and only time will reveal whether gamers will witness a continuation of the characters’ adventures in the near future.

What Doomed Concord?

Numerous factors contributed to Concord’s anticipated failure. Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad noted in a tweet that while the game boasted strong gameplay mechanics and is "content complete," it also failed to differentiate itself from existing hero shooters, offering little incentive for players to switch.

"The game itself wasn’t necessarily innovative and the character designs were uninspired," Ahmad wrote. "It didn’t stand out and felt stuck in the OW1 era."

Additionally, its high price point of $40 put it at a significant disadvantage against popular free-to-play competitors like Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends, and Valorant. Combine this with having little to no marketing, as Daniel Ahmad puts it, "it’s no wonder no one purchased it."

While some suggest making Concord free-to-play, following the recent example of Square Enix’s Foamstars, this superficial change won’t address the game’s core issues: bland character designs and sluggish gameplay. Many argue a complete rework, similar to the successful redesign of Final Fantasy XIV after its initial missteps, is necessary to rejuvenate the game.

Game8 gave Concord a 56 out of 100, lamenting that "it’s almost tragic to see eight years of work culminate in such a visually appealing, yet lifeless, game." For more on our thoughts on Concord, you can read our review below!