I hope PlayStation finally learned its lesson from the recent PS5 exclusive flop

Sony’s big-budget PlayStation 5 hero shooter Concord Was shattered just a couple of weeks after its release, and I wish I could say that I was surprised. With a great cinematic trailer and gameplay reveal that Sony’s State of the Game showcase in May, Concord was straining to be the next live-service hit. The response is far from enthusiastic, and in the months after the state of play, the road to release began to look more and more like a death march.

It doesn’t take any particularly clever insight to clock that Concord was conceived somewhere in the wake of the original Overwatch Release. A price point of $40 and the lack of any immediately obvious twist on the formula are products of a world where a polished hero shooter is inherently destined for success. In 2024, this is not a world that exists anymore. Throw in familiar character designs and snarky writing that feel all to hide to these Guardians of the Galaxy Films, and It’s hard to see where ConcordHis own identity even comes into the picture.

Concord never had a shot at building a player base

Decent fun without enough hook

A big problem with Concord Is that it did not have much of a target audience, but if there was one, I would consider myself about as close to it as you can get. I’m almost like trapped in the original Overwatch Period like Concord Is, with a lingering love for the game that kept me coming back until now Overwatch 2 took his place. When it comes to free-to-play live-service games, I can never find anything I love, and I’m severely allergic to aggressive battle passes and the long lists of daily tasks theoretically intended to hook players.

Even I wasn’t that excited about ConcordAlthough, that shows just how weak the game’s hook was. More than delivering features that excited me, it just avoided things I would have disliked, be it free-to-play monetization or the general desperation to overstimulate that colors a lot of online games. I didn’t play Concord For Screen Rant’s review because it looked like a great game, but because it didn’t look like a bad one, and that’s no way to sell a $40 live service title.

Hero shooters also tend to be a lot more fun with friends, which is reversed Concords assist battle in a truly Sisyphean task. Most of my friends either hadn’t heard of the game or had forgotten about it since the state of play, and none found it particularly appealing. Even people who are interested in the game aren’t likely to buy it if they can’t get friends on boardAnd the likelihood of free-to-play or delisted made a purchase seem like an inherent risk.

PlayStation’s priorities were not in the right place

The PS5 doesn’t have Sony’s best exclusive library

At a certain point, you have to question how Sony allows a game so obviously doomed to launch without re-examining things, and that question points to a bigger problem with PlayStation Studios’ current operations. The PS5 has a huge share of the market, but it feels like a position passed by the success of the PS4 More than anything earned on the advantage of its game library. Although some strong exclusive like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 And Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (For now, at least) serving as draws, it’s a slim lineup compared to past generations.

ConcordIts production value and extended development cycle is an example of Sony putting some effort into expanding the library, but it is also proof that PlayStation does not have a clear idea of ​​what to invest in. System sellers like God of war, The last of usAnd Uncharted Channel high production values ​​into compelling single-player experiencesAnd although they do not regularly generate money through cosmetics, they move copies of both systems and games. Other ambitious past efforts viz Shadow of the Colossus And Devil’s souls Showcase an ambition to make games that can easily be spoken of as art.

When live-service titles miss, they miss hard, and Concord Points to the difficulty of investing a huge development effort in chasing a trend. The last of us May have been a little late to the zombie craze, but it made choices that set itself apart from competitors.

The live-services market moves especially fast, and the things that find success tend to be quick on their feet, viz FortniteOr not interested in capitalizing on any particular trend to begin with, like Sony’s notable live-service success with Heldivers 2. Even Heldivers 2 Its success was almost torpedoed when Sony mandated a PSN account login well after the game’s launch, and the game was not available in many global regions even after the decision was reversed.

The future of PlayStation needs to look very different

Live service games should not be the focus

Sony’s already given up on a lot of live-service efforts, from The Last of Us Online to a Twisted metal project that was a poorly kept secret. Others still on the horizon, like these Marathon Reboot that seems likely to recapture nothing that fans liked about Marathon In the first place, may be in trouble after the recent layoffs at Bungie. Concord actually made it to the finish line in decent shape and still couldn’t land an audience, and It’s hard for me to look at the big picture and not wish PlayStation had put the money elsewhere.

I’m not in love with every blockbuster PlayStation single-player game – Marvel’s Spider-ManFor example, never really did it for me – but I do firmly believe that Sony needs to remember why people like PlayStation exclusive. Astro BotWhich comes out on the same day that Concord Dies, feels much more like the fun experiments that started disappearing during the PS4’s life. I would like to see a balance between heavy hitters and titles like Astro BotMaking it so that people who have a PS5 along with another console or a PC have more games to look forward to.

Concords gameplay was perfectly enjoyable, and I might have really liked it if the overall package was more dynamic and appealing. The product that was launched, however, could hardly have been more unsuitable for the current market. Years after the launch of the PlayStation 5, Sony spent too much time and money developing games that no one really wanted, and Concord‘s failure proves more emphatically than ever that change is necessary.

Source: PlayStation Blog