Sony has announced that Concord, its new hero shooter, will be taken offline on September 6, less than two weeks after its launch.
Posting on the PlayStation Blog, Concord director Ryan Ellis explained some of the reasons behind the decision saying “…while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognise that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we intended.”
The game has since been removed from sale and anyone who purchased digital copies via the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct will be refunded to their original payment methods. Those who purchased the game on PC – either via Steam or Epic Games, should receive their refunds in the coming days.
As for physical copies, players will have to check with individual retailers to obtain their refunds. Sony made it clear that once a player has been refunded, they will no longer have access to the game.
The news comes after Concord‘s less-than-stellar launch. Debuting on August 23, it only reached a peak of just under 700 concurrent players on Steam, making it one of the worst-performing launches of the year so far and a disappointment for Sony and developer Firewalk Studios, who had been developing Concord for several years. A report from IGN also stated that it was estimated that physical sales could be as few as 25,000 units.
There is a somewhat hopeful note, as Sony and Firewalk Studios say they are looking for “the best path ahead” and will look to “explore options, including those that will better reach our players”
Words by Megan Roxburgh
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