As a long-time gamer with countless hours spent on hero shooters like Overwatch, Apex Legends, VALORANT, and Marvel Rivals, I was both excited and apprehensive when Concord, the new PlayStation exclusive from Firewalk Studios, was announced. The game’s visuals and mechanics looked promising, but I couldn’t help but wonder about its monetization strategy.
Despite being marketed as unique from standard hero shooters like Overwatch, Apex Legends, VALORANT, and Marvel Rivals on PlayStation, Concord by Firewalk Studios bears many similarities to these games in terms of gameplay mechanics.
As a long-time gamer and follower of Firewalk Studios, I was eagerly anticipating the monetization strategies for their new live service game. With my past experiences, I assumed that a traditional battle pass system would be in place to ensure the game’s longevity. However, I was taken aback by Concord’s recent announcement of their post-release plans.
Concord won’t include a battle pass
— Concord (@PlayConcord) July 24, 2024
In their online announcement, Firewalk stated that Concord will forgo a battle pass to ensure the game is “an engaging and rich experience from the get-go. Merely participating in the game, advancing your accounts and characters, and finishing tasks will bring significant returns.”
Mark DeRidder, Concord’s Gameplay Animation Director, made it clear again that “Concord doesn’t have a Battle Pass; you own Concord.” This statement brings up concerns about how Concord will continue to thrive since Fortnite’s success is largely attributed to its Battle Pass system.
As a devoted Helldivers 2 gamer, I was initially surprised to find that this action-packed PlayStation title comes with an upfront cost and additionally offers a battle pass. However, Concord has opted for a more straightforward approach: they’ve set the game price at $40/£35. While there will still be seasonal content available, players won’t have to worry about continuous additional costs for it. Instead, we can focus on customizing our characters with cosmetic items and enjoying the game without the burden of unexpected fees.
Players were pleasantly surprised by the new update on X (previously known as Twitter), as Concord doesn’t appear to only be focused on our money (at least for the time being). One fan exclaimed, “W is here without a Battle Pass,” while another stated, “I may not be good at this game, but I’ll still purchase it. The absence of battle pass coercion is worth the investment alone.”
Critics have pointed out that Concord’s beta version had a rather harsh reception, falling short of the anticipated success. Another person put it this way, “Concord is unlikely to become the most popular live-service game. It may not generate enough revenue to maintain the servers for several more years.”
The open beta of Concord, which was offered for free, reached a surprising low number of participants on July 18th, with only 2,388 players. In contrast, Marvel Rivals’ beta attracted an impressive 52,671 players, representing a significant difference of approximately 22 times more players. Concord seems to be aiming for a smaller player base, but the challenge lies in attracting enough players to join their game in the first place.
Read More
Sorry. No data so far.
2024-07-25 16:13