Sony's New Shooter Is Out of Favor on Steam. Announcement of No Season Pass May Help Concord
Concord will never have battle passes, but will that be enough to get players interested in another non-free hero shooter?
Concord didn't generate much interest on Steam. After recent beta tests, Sony's new shooter game ranks 789th in terms of user wishlist presence on the platform. The title also follows a little over 4,000 accounts (via SteamDB).
Not every game on Steam needs to repeat the success of Manor Lords, and pre-release interest doesn't always lead to post-release popularity. However, it would be reasonable to expect that a title promoted by a major publisher such as Sony should at least reach the top one hundred most "wishlisted" games, with just a month left until the premiere.
In fact, there is no point in comparing Concord's popularity to the most anticipated titles such as the new Dragon Age or the next installment of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series. The game is even outpaced by slightly more niche titles like State of Decay 3 and SacriFire. Most players are unlikely to have heard of or quickly forgotten about the games surrounding Firewalk studio's shooter game.
It should be honestly added that Concord will also be released outside Steam, primarily on the PlayStation 5 console.
"You own Concord, Concord doesn't own you"
Of course, as mentioned, this modest interest doesn't yet allow us to write off the Concord as a loss. The recent announcement by the developer Firewalk Studios may also help. Concord won't have a paid battle pass either at launch or in the future. This assurance was given in response to one of the questions asked by players after the beta tests (via X).
The beta provided players with a preview of "hundreds of items" to customize characters based on their individual preferences. We will acquire all these modifications through active gameplay, without spending money. All content updates will also be free.
Mark DeRidder, gameplay animation director at Firewalk Studios, summed it up by saying that players will own Concord, and not the other way around (via X).
Will such a move be enough to encourage players to check out Concord despite the modest interest after the beta tests? The game certainly faces stiff competition, often available in a free-to-play model, while the Firewalk Studios game requires a one-time payment of $39.99 (via SteamDB).
Concord will be released on August 23 on PC and PlayStation 5.