Pre-orders for PvP shooter Concord have just gone live, confirming that the upcoming PS5 game will not be a free-to-play title. Instead, the Concord price point will come in at $39.99/ £34.99, the same as Sony’s biggest live service success story: Helldivers 2.
While the PS5 exclusive may have received a bit of a cold reception when it was fully revealed at last week’s State of Play, Sony is clearly trying to follow the trail that its democracy-spreading sensation Helldivers 2 has blazed. Ahead of the Concord release date in August, you can now pre-order the FPS game, and doing so will give you some extra goodies: early access to its July beta for you and four pals, a skin for Vale and her sniper rifle, and a weapon skin pack called ‘Dead Reckoner’.
I’m still on the fence as to whether making Concord a paid title is the right move from Sony. Sure, it’s worked for Helldivers 2, which has literally broken PlayStation Studios records. But there’s a history of PvE co-op games (even live service ones like Helldivers 2) having a price tag. When it comes to PvP experiences, there’s more of an expectation that it’ll be a free-to-play game. Judging by the gameplay we saw, Concord’s closest cousins are Overwatch and Destiny 2’s Crucible PvP experience – both of which are free to access. Then pile in other free shooting games like Apex Legends, Halo Infinite, Call of Duty Warzone, XDefiant, and The Finals, and you can see why I’m a bit concerned for Concord.
However, more encouraging news has emerged about Concord’s post-launch support. While Helldivers 2’s Warbonds lock some gameplay content like new weapons behind its premium, paid track, Concord looks to be a bit more forgiving.
“The crew of the Northstar and the galaxy of Concord will grow through regular post-launch updates that introduce new Freegunners, game modes, maps and worlds, and weekly cinematic vignettes for no additional cost,” the multiplayer game’s description on the PlayStation Store reads.
While I’m sure there will still be premium battle passes, paid cosmetics, or some other form of additional content to increase its revenue, it’s great to see that everything tied to gameplay is going to seemingly be free. That certainly makes the initial upfront cost of $40 a bit more palatable.
For more on Concord, check out Aaron’s initial thoughts on the game following its State of Play appearance. You should also take a look at these new details about the six core Concord game modes so you know what to expect. Be sure to give us a follow over on Google News too, as we’ll be keeping the closest of eyes on Concord this summer and bringing you all the latest news and opinions.