Firewalk Studios Announces Shutdown of Concord’s Servers Amid Dwindling Player Numbers

After eight years in development, Firewalk Studios’ first-person shooter, Concord, faced a rocky post-launch period with dismal player engagement on Steam. In less than two weeks, the game saw its active player count drop to just 31, with a 24-hour peak of 103 and an all-time peak of 660 players. In response to the rapidly declining player base, Firewalk Studios has announced that the game’s servers will be shut down on Friday, September 6th. Additionally, PlayStation will be delisting Concord, and full refunds will be issued to all players who purchased the hero shooter.

Press Release

Concord fans — we’ve been listening closely to your feedback since the launch of Concord on PlayStation 5 and PC and want to thank everyone who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar. Your support and the passionate community that has grown around the game has meant the world to us.

However, while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended. Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning September 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players.

While we determine the best path ahead, Concord sales will cease immediately, and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC. If you purchased the game for PlayStation 5 from the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct, a refund will be issued back to your original payment method.

Customers who purchased from other digital storefronts will also be refunded. More information about refunds from Steam and Epic can be found below:

• Steam Store: Steam will refund players who bought the game over the coming days. Steam will send confirmation of the refund once it has been processed.

• Epic Games Store: Epic Games Store will refund players who bought the game over the coming days and will contact each customer directly to confirm that the refund has been processed.

• Other Retailer Refunds: For customers who have purchased a physical copy at a retailer location outside of PlayStation directly, please refer to the refund process of the retailer you purchased it from to obtain your refund.

Once refunded, players will no longer have access to the game.

We’ll keep you updated and thank you again to all the Freegunners who have joined us in the Concord galaxy.

Concord’s abrupt failure raises significant questions about Firewalk Studios’ ability to deliver a successful game, despite years of development. The poor reception and rapidly dwindling player base indicate deep flaws in both the game’s design and its execution. With the servers shutting down and the game being delisted, Firewalk now faces a critical juncture. The studio must reflect on what led to this disastrous outcome and consider how to rebuild its reputation. The real challenge ahead is whether Firewalk can learn from this failure and develop a title that truly resonates with players, or if this misstep will permanently tarnish their credibility in the gaming industry.