We’ve heard absolutely zilch from Firewalk Studio since it revealed its upcoming PS5-exclusive FPS, Concord, last year. While this typically indicates that we won’t be seeing the game for quite some time, and some sort of unannounced delay has happened, Sony has reiterated that the Concord release date will still arrive for PS5 players later this year.
During the firm’s latest earnings call, Sony revealed all sorts of delectable stats – such as the fact Helldivers 2 has crushed God of War Ragnarok’s PlayStation sales record. However, tucked away in the webcast’s slides is a sneaky acknowledgement that a new PS5 game will soon enter the live-service arena, as Firewalk’s FPS game is still on for a 2024 launch.
It’s been a whole year since Concord dropped its first teaser, which you can check out below. The trailer gave away virtually nothing about what Firewalk has in store aside from its rough ‘n’ ready intergalactic aesthetic – oh, and some of the finest burger jiggle physics I’ve ever seen (I’m getting hungry just thinking about it). What it did share, however, is that the Concord release date is coming this year – something we now know is still the case.
In the accompanying PlayStation Blog post, game director Ryan Ellis said at the time that Concord “is a bringing together of peoples. It’s the power of games to build connection and inspire social play.” Judging from the emphasis on “exciting, unexpected moments and shared experiences” being generated from each new session, Concord is going to be targeting the same sorts of emergent player stories as Arrowhead’s major hit.
The importance of emergent player stories is certainly integral to success in the live-service space – Helldivers 2 is the poster child for it. Back in GDC 2024 I spoke to the Exoborne team about their upcoming extraction shooter, and what studio co-founder Martin Hultberg said on the subject is very much in line with Ellis’ comments here. Hopefully, then, this next wave of shooters will find their own unique ways of standing out from the crowd.
With a new PlayStation showcase rumored to be on the way this month, now is the perfect time for Ellis and Firewalk to once again take to the (virtual) stage and showcase what they’ve been up to for the past year. Considering the 2024 release window, I’m fully expecting this to be the case as the marketing machine will need time to get up and running.
For more of the latest news on the best PS5 games in the FPS space, check out the Sker Ritual update that brings CoD Zombies icon NoahJ456 into the action. To keep up to date with all the latest PlayStation news as we hurtle towards the new showcase, be sure to give our Google News feed a follow.