Everyone's Saying The Same Thing About Concord, Sony's New Co-Op Shooter

Sony's next live service game launch is right around the corner, and the internet is bracing itself to be underwhelmed. Sony offered the first real look at "Concord" during its last State of Play event. The game is a 5v5 PvP shooter that looks a bit like if "Overwatch" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" fell into the same black hole. It's open for pre-order starting June 6, with the full release on August 23.

The reactions to the game's cinematic trailer are pretty brutal thus far, with fans ragging on its similarities to other properties and perceived lack of innovation. "Star Lord and the gang from Temu," wrote one YouTube commenter. "Wow. This will be Sony's 'Redfall'," wrote another. A number of commenters have compared the game's "Marvel-esque" dialogue to "Forspoken," another game that was seemingly undone by an underwhelming trailer. Many have argued out that the space heist vibe of the trailer doesn't really seem to line up with the actual shooter gameplay, while others have expressed disappointment that the game's story will mostly be communicated through weekly cinematic vignettes.

Still, there are clear signs that Sony is hoping to turn "Concord" into the next "Helldivers 2." The game is being simultaneously released on PC and PS5, retailing for only $40 — with the option to pay more for early access and extra skins, of course. "Concord" probably won't flop as hard as "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League," but some feel Sony isn't exactly setting up the game to be a runaway success.

The YouTube comments below the gameplay trailer for "Concord" just extend the impression that gamer's are a bit ambivalent towards it. When people aren't making fun of the characters or the dialogue, they're joking about the concept of the game as a whole. There are plenty of multiplayer shooters, and some argue that the "Concord" trailer doesn't do enough to demonstrate what sets the game apart from the rest.

To be fair, the trailer also only shows off five characters, so there's presumably plenty more for us to discover. To be even fairer, though, Sony's already repeating a mistake it make with "Helldivers 2" and "God of War Ragnarok." Keep an eye on the fine print in either "Concord" trailer, and you'll notice that the game requires a PlayStation Network account to play. We already know how PC players feel about that.

The saddest part of this is that no one wants to see "Concord" fail. 2024 has been devastating enough with tons of canceled games and layoffs across the industry. Seeing a somewhat generic sci-fi shooter come out on top would be a welcome reprieve. Sadly, players are already bracing themselves for a game that's just chasing a tired business model.