Firewalk Studios has confirmed that their upcoming live service game, Concord, will not feature a battle pass. This announcement comes as Sony continues to explore a unique approach to live service gaming, aiming to merge the traditional premium model with elements of free-to-play. Instead of relying on a battle pass for post-release monetization, Concord will be sold at a premium price of $40.
This strategy mirrors Sony’s approach with Helldivers II, another title sold at a premium price with free updates and content. Concord will also offer a steady stream of free updates, including new maps and characters. However, the game will not utilize the battle pass system.
Firewalk has stated that Concord will offer a wide array of unlockables that can be earned solely through gameplay. However, early reception to the game has been mixed. The beta version on Steam reached a peak of 2,388 players, and the game currently holds a 2.6 out of 5 star rating on the PlayStation Store with 7.6K user reviews.
Given the mixed reception, the success of Concord’s unique business model remains to be seen. If the game fails to meet expectations, it’s possible that Sony and Firewalk may reconsider their strategy in the future.
Concord is scheduled to release on August 23, 2024, on both Steam and PlayStation 5, for a price of $39.99.
