In a stunning move, Sony pulled the plug on its long-in-development shooter game Concord just two weeks after its release and following a disaster of a launch.
Concord, which was released on Aug. 23 for PC and PlayStation 5, started to go offline on Sept. 6, Concord Game Director Ryan Ellis said in a Sony PlayStation blog post. The game was developed over a period of about eight years by Bellevue, Washington-based Firewalk Studios. Sales of the game have stopped, and those who bought the game on services such as PlayStation Store, Steam and Epic Games Store should start seeing refunds rolling out soon.
"While many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn't land the way we'd intended," Ellis wrote in the blog post. "Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players."
The post doesn't detail whether that means there are plans for a rerelease of the game at some point in the future. Sony didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ellis goes on to write, "While we determine the best path ahead, Concord sales will cease immediately and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC."
Those who purchased a physical copy of the game are encouraged to return it to the retailer. Returning the game means players will no longer have access to the title before it is shut down.
While Sony and Firewalk never revealed publicly how much the game cost to develop, some estimates have ranged from $100 million to $200 million, which is what Sony has reportedly spent on some of its big-budget first-party games.
When Concord launched, the small number of players in the game suggested very low sales in the title's first days, and players began having trouble finding matches, a sign that the live service wasn't well-populated.
Concord also faced stiff competition in its short lifespan. Not only was the $40 game compared with free-to-play hero shooters such as Overwatch 2 and Apex Legends, but it debuted on the same day as Black Myth: Wukong and a week before Star Wars: Outlaws.