Despite its swift demise after launch, Sony's Concord continues to receive updates on Steam, sparking considerable speculation among gamers. This article explores the ongoing updates and the potential scenarios they suggest.

Concord's SteamDB Updates Fuel Speculation

Remember Concord, the hero-shooter that fizzled out almost immediately? While officially offline since September 6th, its Steam page shows consistent updates, over 20 since September 29th, according to SteamDB. These updates, attributed to accounts like "pmtest," "sonyqae," and "sonyqae_shipping," hint at behind-the-scenes improvements and potential backend fixes. The "QAE" designation likely refers to Quality Assurance Engineers.

Concord's August launch, priced at $40, was a significant misstep in a market dominated by free-to-play giants like Overwatch, Valorant, and Apex Legends. The game's poor reception led to its rapid withdrawal and full refunds for players. Its low player count and overwhelmingly negative reviews sealed its fate as a commercial failure.

A Free-to-Play Resurrection?

The continued updates are puzzling. Former Firewalk Studios Game Director, Ryan Ellis, hinted at exploring options for better player reach following the game's shutdown. This, coupled with the updates, fuels speculation of a potential relaunch, possibly as a free-to-play title. This would address the pricing criticism that heavily contributed to its initial failure.

Sony's substantial investment in Concord—reportedly up to $400 million—suggests a strong incentive to salvage the project. The ongoing updates might indicate Firewalk Studios is overhauling the game, adding new features, and addressing the original complaints about weak characters and uninspired gameplay.

While unconfirmed, Sony's silence regarding Concord's future is telling. The possibility of a revamped game with improved mechanics, broader appeal, or a revised monetization strategy remains open. However, even a free-to-play relaunch faces a formidable challenge in a highly competitive market.

Currently, Concord remains unavailable, and Sony offers no official statements. Only time will reveal if these speculations hold any truth, or if Concord will ever truly recover from its disastrous debut.