Making a live service game (ongoing game) in today's landscape is like betting it all on red in roulette. If the bet comes off, you make huge returns and can reinvest that money to keep improving the product.
If it lands on black, all the investment you put into the game goes up in smoke and any roadmap you have for future content is in jeopardy.
For PlayStation, they hit big with the surprise success of Helldivers 2 earlier this year. For the first game in their live-service initiative, it set the tone for other projects they had in the oven.
Sadly, with their second live-service game, Concord it already seems to be struggling to find an audience days after it launched.
On PC, it hit a peak of over 600 players, which is abysmal for a new game, and while it is selling better on the PS5, seeing as it is an exclusive, things are not looking good for this multiplayer hero shooter.
The problem is not so much that the game is bad, but rather how it fails to stand out in a crowded space with the likes of Overwatch 2, Apex Legends and the upcoming Marvel Rivals competing for people's attention.
As a hero shooter, there are 16 characters (freegunners) to choose from, each with a range of abilities. You take part in 5 on 5 matches in various arenas with teamwork trumping solo heroics every time.
The characters themselves have been compared to the Guardians of the Galaxy crew for obvious reasons, but ultimately their design is a mixed bag overall.
There is the gunslinger with the heart of gold in Lennox, the snarky ranged slinger in Haymar, the awkward bruiser in Star Child and the quirky yet loveable robot 1-Off.
Motley crew
It is an eclectic bunch, but ultimately none of them feel original enough to be iconic characters. They all feel one note and some, like Haymar come off as completely obnoxious and unlikeable overall.
Thankfully, their abilities are what really sets them apart. For a €40 game, there is certainly bang for your buck when it comes to experimenting with playstyles.
Vale is a lethal sniper who can leap into the air and deploy trip mines, Bazz is lightning fast as she races around hitting you with throwing knives and Emari is the ultimate tank as she blasts foes with her minigun while protecting others with a projectile shield.
How you dovetail together as a team is truly vital.
Through countless matches, I realised one thing though: teams without tank characters to soak up damage are at a huge disadvantage.
Through countless matches, I realised one thing though: teams without tank characters to soak up damage are at a huge disadvantage.
This points to one of the games' biggest issues: balancing. Even with the tweaks made after the Beta, creators Firewalk Studios still have not got the right mix of making you feel powerful but also having something to counteract it.
While they do have crew bonuses for assembling a team with abilities that synergise, it is never explained well enough or even obvious how much of a benefit it actually is.
There were so many games I started off as a healer character and had to switch midway through to a tank character because my team was getting spanked because the other team had two.
They clearly need to rethink things if they want every character to have an impact in matches.
It is no surprise Firewalk Studios is made up of former Bungie and Activision (Destiny and Call of Duty) developers, as the gunplay feels punchy.
Process of elimination
Whether it is IT-Z's SMG, Roka's missile launcher or Haymer's slingshot bow, each weapon is fun to use and none of them feel particularly overpowered compared to another.
In terms of the time to kill in the game, it is somewhere between Call of Duty, where you are dead in one or two shots, and Halo: Infinite, where you have to take down their shield first.
It takes a bit to get used to, but every elimination (kill) means more as you both dance around each other trying to get that final shot.
While the gameplay is a lot of fun and has plenty of variety, the thing that really lets Concord down is its vanilla game modes.
While the gameplay is a lot of fun and has plenty of variety, the thing that really lets Concord down is its vanilla game modes.
There are six altogether at launch, and if you have played any multiplayer game in recent years, they will be all too familiar.
There are the likes of Takedown (Team Deathmatch), Trophy Hunt (Kill Confirmed) and Area Control (Domination). There is nothing inherently wrong with them, but the lack of creativity really holds Concord back from being a refreshing experience.
They could certainly add more modes in the future, but there is no killer match type that really sets the game apart at the moment.
Another element that is meant to separate this game from other live service offerings are the weekly cutscenes. It is meant to give you an insight into the different dynamics in the crew.
Sadly, as pretty as they are, none of them are particularly revealing and the jokes land like a lead balloon. What could have been a nice addition, is like watching Guardian of the Galaxy b-roll.
Concord is far from a bad game, and it is a very fun hero shooter when everything comes together. It is just sadly let down by balancing issues, uninspired game modes and garden-variety main characters.
