Despite Concord's failure, Sony says it isn't giving up on live-service games

[midian182]

Forward-looking: Releasing a multi-million-dollar game that proved so unpopular it was removed from sale just two weeks after launch would make any company question its commitment to the genre. But despite the Concord debacle, Sony is not giving up on live-service games and will continue to focus on developing these titles.

Following an eight-year development cycle and a huge budget, the number of concurrent Steam users playing Concord peaked at just 2,388, with the PS5 version unlikely to have fared much better. Two weeks after launch, Sony delisted the online shooter, offered refunds, and shut down its servers.

A failure on that level would make most companies wary of continuing to make similar games, but it seems Sony has not been put off.

Speaking in a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu, PlayStation Co-CEO Herman Hulst said, "The game business is constantly changing due to various factors, including technological advances, new genres and ways of playing."

"However, one thing that remains constant is people's desire for great entertainment experiences, and attention to games continues to grow. However, this has also created competition, and like many companies in the industry, we have had to make changes to our business to solidify a more sustainable operating base."

In apparent reference to Concord without mentioning the game by name, Hulst said that PlayStation and Sony will "continue to focus on developing live service titles along with the story-driven single-player titles that our players want."

While Concord was an unmitigated disaster, Sony can point to one of its live-service games that has been a resounding success: Helldivers 2. Developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), the co-op shooter sold more than 12 million copies within three months of launch and has won numerous awards this year.

"We are learning a lot as we establish the ability to develop high-quality live service titles within SIE," Hulst said. "Helldivers 2 attracted many players through continuous content provision, and achieved results that support the potential of live service titles."

Several factors played a part in Concord's failure. The competitive hero shooter market is a saturated one, dominated by free-to-play titles such as Valorant and Overwatch 2. Combined with its $40 price tag, low awareness, generic characters, and lack of standout features, it's little wonder that Concord's flopped as hard as it did.

There were also Concord's extensive monetization features, which many people were especially unhappy to see in a full-price title. It brought to mind former SIE President and CEO Shawn Layden's warning that parts of the industry have shifted focus from creating fun games to prioritizing monetization.

It might be surprising to hear Sony reaffirm its commitment to live-service games in the wake of Concord, but the company obviously expects to have another money-making machine like Helldivers 2 at some point, and the release of Helldivers 3 in the far future is a given.

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Despite Concord's failure, Sony says it isn't giving up on live-service games

 

[m3diapers]

Why don’t game studios create characters with customizable skins and themes? This way, players with unique tastes could have their own versions of the characters. For example, someone who prefers unconventional or even "ugly" characters could buy an "ugly pack," while I’d happily go for the "extra pretty pack." Wait a minute... am I just describing Fortnite? I meant for all characters including NPCs in single-player games!

 

[The Talking Tech]

All it takes is a couple of more failures for them to come to their senses.

Make no mistake, the moment PlayStation succeeds with LIVE-SERVICE titles it will mark the end for single player games like God of War as a none transactional game. Sony well understands current single player games will never bring the type of revenue a live service game can.

 

[yRaz]

All it takes is a couple of more failures for them to come to their senses.

Make no mistake, the moment PlayStation succeeds with LIVE-SERVICE titles it will mark the end for single player games like God of War as a none transactional game. Sony well understands current single player games will never bring the type of revenue a live service game can.

Yes, but if the live service games take 500m to make and return zero, does it matter?

 

[axiomatic13]

I would pay attention to this games design and features? This game is ripe for a reskin and a second attempt.

 

[emmzo]

Try this experiment, Sony, make Helldivers take their helmets off and they're all fat, ugly, black women, trans, non binary etc., you know the recipe and then make them so they constantly complain to the gamer on how to use pronouns and about the vile patriarchy. See what happens. Is that when you'll realize why Concord failed or are you that stupid?

 

[Squid Surprise]

It wasn't the genre of the game... it was the GAME itself... make a good one and people will buy it..

 

[The Talking Tech]

Yes, but if the live service games take 500m to make and return zero, does it matter?

That's why I said, the LIVE-SERVICE titles would have to fail otherwise say bye-bye to the single player games as we know them.

 

[axiomatic13]

Try this experiment, Sony, make Helldivers take their helmets off and they're all fat, ugly, black women, trans, non binary etc., you know the recipe and then make them so they constantly complain to the gamer on how to use pronouns and about the vile patriarchy. See what happens. Is that when you'll realize why Concord failed or are you that stupid?

I have no idea why Techspot allows this kind of hate speech on its site?

 

[AlexIL]

Nah it’s attempts of an industry which thought of itself as shaping the future of humanity by influencing woke culture finding out that in reality they’re nothing more than a convenient and cheaper version of brothel. When clients cease coming they don’t change the furniture there. These glorified publishers have a hard time accepting harsh reality of what they really are.

 

[AndreV]

Why don’t game studios create characters with customizable skins and themes? This way, players with unique tastes could have their own versions of the characters. For example, someone who prefers unconventional or even "ugly" characters could buy an "ugly pack," while I’d happily go for the "extra pretty pack." Wait a minute... am I just describing Fortnite? I meant for all characters including NPCs in single-player games!

Simple: because that isnt the way to push for an ideology(by letting people free to choose, but by forcing down their throats the garbage), and for some years, Sony, like many other companies and corporations, are pushing for "woke" aka "progressive" ideology. Why? Because their shareholders/investors tell them to do this.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

You know what? Good. Keep doing it Sony, another 3 or 4 half billion dollar bombs might finally convince Sony Japan to step in and strip the American branch of all autonomy and bring an end to this nonsense. And of course, it will be funny to watch the multi billion dollar corpo blow all their profits on garbage.

I have no idea why Techspot allows this kind of hate speech on its site?

You not liking something being pointed out, does not make it hate speech. Pointing out patterns of behavior is not hate speech. You may not be used to it, but techspot isnt bluesky or kotaku. Generally, we are able to point out the obvious without getting jailed for wrongthink.

Why don’t game studios create characters with customizable skins and themes? This way, players with unique tastes could have their own versions of the characters. For example, someone who prefers unconventional or even "ugly" characters could buy an "ugly pack," while I’d happily go for the "extra pretty pack." Wait a minute... am I just describing Fortnite? I meant for all characters including NPCs in single-player games!

Because the whole reason they make characters ugly in the first place is politics. If they make a female character with sex appeal, if it is a woman making the choice, it is "strong and empowering", but if that product is purchased by Males, then it becomes "appealing the Male Gaze" which is a big No No, even if the woman chose to do it of her own volition.

So anything they make HAS to fit into this intersectional space of opposing anything Males find attractive while espousing how Strong and Independent the Women are, regardless of situation.

No, it makes no sense. Like most cultist beliefs, it collapses upon its own hypocrisy the moment you start questioning it, which is why questioning these beliefs is attacked so ferociously.

 

[Shaitan]

I have no idea why Techspot allows this kind of hate speech on its site?

I have no idea why Techspot allows this kind of hate speech on its site?

Because he is right?!
For me, any game which has DEI as a selling point is a no-go. And most of the gamers agree with me.
Naughty Dog and CD Projekt Red will see this in their next releases.
Dustborn, Dragon Age, Concord where flops. The next Assassin's Creed with the black samurai will bury Ubisoft. As it should: they are reporting gamers for cursing to the police for"hate speech"?! Wtf? Get comfortable not owning you own games? Ok. I'll stop buying your sh!t then.

Do you want a game which forces me into playing "diverse"? Good. No buy.

 

[emmzo]

I have no idea why Techspot allows this kind of hate speech on its site?

Criticism of virtue signaling does not equal hate speech, but I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, I know, in your fantasy communist world, everything you don't like should be banned and everyone that is not aligning with your ideology should be jailed.

 

[axiomatic13]

Criticism of virtue signaling does not equal hate speech, but I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, I know, in your fantasy communist world, everything you don't like should be banned and everyone that is not aligning with your ideology should be jailed.

No, you said "fat, ugly, black women, trans" in the pejorative. Grow up, stop hating.

 

[emmzo]

No, you said "fat, ugly, black women, trans" in the pejorative. Grow up, stop hating.

That's your opinion, I was calling a pattern and I know you have the intelligence to understand my point, but you choose not to.

 

[toooooot]

To these companies, making a successful service game is the purest, most sacred, most desired dream.
They see it as the most reliable and steady source of income. And it is, for those who managed to find
a category or style. Someone makes billions from in game purchases, and someone is losing hundreds of millions on their primitive shooter with hideous characters.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

To these companies, making a successful service game is the purest, most sacred, most desired dream.
They see it as the most reliable and steady source of income. And it is, for those who managed to find
a category or style. Someone makes billions from in game purchases, and someone is losing hundreds of millions on their primitive shooter with hideous characters.

The two things they always forget is

A) a live service game is a LOT of work. It's like developing a game, except it never ends. You always need more content, more service, and if you screw it up at all the community will rip you apart for it because you've designed this game to be a part of their life in a way that is much more invasive thena traditional game, full of FOMO, and now you are interrupting it.

and

B) To be successful you need to give the audience what they want. If you fill it with ugly virtue signalling and politics, only those who value those things will play it. Turns out, the modern audience" is really small and doesnt buy many games.....

No, you said "fat, ugly, black women, trans" in the pejorative. Grow up, stop hating.

So now you cant even use descriptors of characters without it being a problem.

If you needed any other example of why this political movement is so hated by everyone else, here is the best example why. It's impossible to have any conversation about anything without being labeled for disagreeing with "the message". This is not an environment you can make good work in, and it's no surprise that studios that envelop this mindset keep failing.

 

[Kashim]

Criticism of virtue signaling does not equal hate speech, but I'm sorry I hurt your feelings, I know, in your fantasy communist world, everything you don't like should be banned and everyone that is not aligning with your ideology should be jailed.

Funny guy. I guess in YOUR world you can attack, demean, ridicule, and belittle anyone who doesn't look exactly like you. All games should only have white male characters and maybe a few Asian female characters with large breasts (so you have something to spank it to). Anything else will offend your sensibilities and set off your finely tuned woke/DEI detector, right? Game companies need to pretend the entire world is made up of white skinned people with a penis, nothing else will do!

 

[Squid Surprise]

Game companies need to pretend the entire world is made up of white skinned people with a penis, nothing else will do!

No… they don’t NEED to - and thus some fail…

What they NEED to do is ACCURATELY assess their market and tailor their games accordingly.

If I was going to make a game that I wanted to sell to KKK members, it would probably be a bad idea to have a black protagonist…