The fate of Foamstars reveals why the free-to-play Concorde return is dangerous

There's no way around it: Sony agreement One of the biggest AAA flops of the past few years. Although the live service team shooter was generally appreciated from a technical standpoint, it garnered little interest from gaming audiences and fell into obscurity, eventually being canceled by Sony just two weeks after its release.

agreement is a fascinating failure. Not only did it have no weaknesses among the usual suspects – poor performance, exorbitant in-game spending, excessive bugs – but it was also quickly abandoned. In recent years, you can expect big-budget live services to initially falter, then slowly gain renewed interest as new content, bug patches, and quality-of-life improvements seep into the base product. However, this kind of post-release scrambling appears to become less effective over time, and much more dramatic changes have proven much less successful in shifting public opinion about specific titles. A good example of this is from Square Enix. form star, splatoon It's a spin-off that struggled to attract a strong fan base at a premium price, prompting a shift to a free-to-play model. But this didn't move the needle much, and the same strategy may prove similarly ineffective in Concord.

2:37

relevant

Why the Marathon's rumored $40 price tag may not be the death knell like Concorde was.

Bungie's upcoming revival of the Marathon series has been the subject of problematic rumors, but the game could still avoid Concord's fate.

Foamstar's lack of free-to-play success could be a precursor to Concord's.

A free-to-play Switch for Concord has been rumored.

fortnite, warzone, genshin impact: Three of the most popular and influential games of the modern era, and they're all free to play. Of course, the success of these titles is not a sign that free-to-play is the right path for all games, but it does indicate the power of the low-risk, high-reward dynamic that characterizes the GaaS model. Naturally, this is a model that many companies would like to capitalize on, but some publishers are attempting to recreate the same addictive live service gameplay loop while charging a premium price for the base product, usually with numerous in-game purchases. This can be seen as one of the reasons form star failed.

But removing the premium price tag didn't help Square's unfortunate situation much. splatoon A clone whose player base continues to dwindle even after becoming free. There was a rumor that agreement Here, it can follow Square Enix's lead and rejoin the fray with free-to-play titles in an attempt to recoup some of its losses. Assuming this is true, we might end up with something like this: form star'Leaving a legacy in more ways than one, leaping into the free-to-play seas and drowning them once again.

Concord's problems go beyond its price tag

agreement is a game that screams “free-to-play” at first glance, so while its $40 price point may certainly have contributed to its weaknesses, it's not the game's only problem. of course, agreement's lowest player count can be attributed to a number of factors, but most of them center on a specific problem: a lack of soul, identity, and charm.

Enjoy games like: overwatchany agreement I'm definitely getting a lot of inspiration from it. overwatch is defined by its unforgettable character design, storytelling, and varied gameplay, all of which combine to give it a certain vitality. Despite being made by a multi-billion dollar company, it feels vibrant, sassy and captivating. This is an inescapable corporate feeling. agreement lack.

There is also the more universal problem of market saturation. Live service competitive shooters are everywhere, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for new releases to stand out in this field. This is to say nothing of the GaaS model itself, which is defined by the constant demand for players' time, with time being a classic finite resource. In fact, many players have never felt that way. agreement It was worth the time, and whether it cost $0 or not, it's highly unlikely that I'll ever come back.

Freegunner Gather your space outlaws, team up with friends online and take on Concord in thrilling 5v5 PVP mode across the galaxy.

Concord is a new team-based first-person shooter for PS5® and PC*. Handpick your personal roster of Freegunners from the crew of the Northstar, a group of outlaws and adventurers who serve as gunslingers.

Assemble your crew
From powerful mystics to skilled gunslingers and helpful healers, each Freegunner offers unique skills, personalities, and abilities to suit a variety of playstyles.

Create your own Freegunner squad using Crew Builder to bring an arsenal of different role types into the match, or focus on your favorite characters to master the gameplay and unlock unique modifiers, cosmetics, lore, and more. Decide when to play. How it affects the character and the match.

play. development. Personalize it.
Earn and unlock a variety of character customization items and learn more about the characters, world, and factions of Concord Galaxy with the Galactic Guide.

You can also progress and unlock the Freegunner variant, which is a version of 16 Freegunners with combat trait modifiers added to their base abilities. As you learn and master the characters, their combat talents allow you to tailor each character to your playstyle.

system