Firewalk Studios’ upcoming team shooter Concord is not drawing in many players during its Early Access Beta.
A screenshot from Concord (2024), Firewalk Studios
Firewalk Communications Manager Alice Labrecque announced the Early Access Beta in a blog post on PlayStation’s website earlier this week noting it would run from July 12th through the 14th. After the Early Access Beta concludes, it will have an Open Beta from July 18th to the 21st.
Labrecque detailed, “The Concord Beta Early Access weekend on PS5 and PC will begin tomorrow, Friday, July 12, at 10am PDT. If you are playing on a PS5, you can pre-download the Concord Beta starting today, Thursday, July 11 at 10 am PDT.
A screenshot from Concord (2024), Firewalk Studios
In order to participate in the Early Access Beta one needs to pre-order the game or receive a code from someone who did pre-order it. Labrecque relayed, “Pre-ordering any edition of Concord will grant you access to the Beta Early Access weekend, as well as four extra codes you can share with friends so you can squad up with your own crew and take on rival crews together.”
The game does not seem to be garnering a significant player base at least on Steam. According to Steam DB the game’s concurrent peak players only hit 1,124 when the Early Access Beta opened up.
Concord Early Access Beta Steam DB charts
In fact, gamers who have played the Early Access Beta do not seem to be impressed by the game. YouTuber Endymion shared his thoughts on X, “Overall not impressed at all not sure what Sony is going for here with this & genuinely concerned if this game will do well or flop.
He added, “IMO if they want ANY chance of survival in today’s market this HAS to be free to play at launch. $50 for what feels like a side mode in a more complete game is asking too much. Really worried about this one.”
So I tried the CONCORD beta to see if it could win me over here’s the positives & negatives imo
Positives
– it was a free beta
– Graphically it looks nice in cutscenesNegatives
– Character movement feels sloppy & slow
– Maps feel lifeless & boring
– No character felt “good”… pic.twitter.com/gh3CAzewQX— Endymion (@EndymionYT) July 13, 2024
YouTuber DreamcastGuy also described the game as “Walmart brand Overwatch.”
After the game was revealed during a PlayStation State of Play presentation in May, it received significant backlash for its character designs and the inclusion of pronouns for each character.
Firewalk Studios’ Director of IP Kim Kreines also stated at the time, “Every character brings their own unique personality, skills, and wide-ranging perspectives to the crew.”
She also detailed, “Every week when you log in to Concord, you will be welcomed with a new cinematic vignette that will give you a chance to see our characters off the job. They will feature ongoing narrative arcs that grow the characters’ stories and relationships and unpack the broader Concord galaxy.”
A screenshot of the character Lark from Concord (2024), Firewalk Studios
READ: Rumor: Firewalk Studios “Shrugging Off” Criticism Of ‘Concord’
A rumor from Mark Kern aka Grummz would surface following the backlash indicating that Firewalk Studios and its executives were shrugging off the feedback.
He posted on X, “PlayStation owned studio Firewalk Studios has heard your complaints about Concord… And ignored them.”
He added, “Sources tell me internal emails show the Concord team is shrugging off the criticism of their characters as ‘white noise,’ and dismissing it. Very much in their own bubble.”
A screenshot from Concord (2024), Firewalk Studios
He then pointed out, “Meanwhile, their trailer has over 44k dislikes, and their lead character designer bashes white folks and is rumored to be the one who pushed for the character lineup to be super woke. They are in for a rude surprise.”
“Meanwhile Sony will be forcing PC players to register for PSN with this game, and barring it from sale in 177 countries. Vote with you wallets,” he concluded.
UPDATE: @PlayStation owned studio @FirewalkStudios has heard your complaints about Concord…
And ignored them.
Sources tell me internal emails show the Concord team is shrugging off the criticism of their characters as “white noise,” and dismissing it. Very much in their own… pic.twitter.com/Obvv58TWhs
— Grummz (@Grummz) June 5, 2024
This rumor appeared to be confirmed with Kreines addressing the backlash in an interview with VGC. She said, “Yeah, that trailer. That moment is such a tiny slice of everything that we’ve been working on for years and years. We’re excited for the game and for the IP, [and] for the game to be in people’s hands, the IP to be in people’s minds.”
She continued, “I’m personally very excited for the IP for folks to delve into the galactic guide if that is something they choose to do, for these vignettes to come out on a weekly basis. You’ll start to fall in love with the depth of the characters. That’s something that you learn week to week. Their personalities will unfold, their relationships will unfold for you, their backstories. None of that is something that you can get in a tiny little slice of it.”
“But that’s a start,” Kreines added. “There’s something there. So I’m glad folks watched it. I’m glad they participated and I can’t wait for them to see more, to see everything that is there.”
Given these paltry numbers, it’s likely the game’s days will be quickly numbered.
What do you make of the pitiful amount of players checking out Concord’s Early Access Beta?
