GamesFPSValve and Sony’s new hero shooters show the highs and lows of live service games, as Deadlock courts 64,000 players and Concord fails to reach 700 on SteamWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesFPSValve and Sony’s new hero shooters show the highs and lows of live service games, as Deadlock courts 64,000 players and Concord fails to reach 700 on SteamWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Firewalk Studios)
This weekend’s two new shooters show off the best and worst of what companies can expect from launching live service games.
“New shooters” might be a little inaccurate sinceValve’s Deadlock has been in not-so-secret playtesting for months now - images, videos, details, character lineups, and morewere leakedweeks in advance as literally tens of thousands of players signed up to the pre-release tests - though the company waited until this weekend to officiallyannounce the MOBA and hero shooter mash-up.
Despite access to Deadlock being “limited to friend invites via our playtesters,” the shooter still courted over 64,000 concurrent players just yesterday, according to data fromSteamDB, and reactions to the genre-blender have been universally positive. Since Valve lifted the lid on the project, players have flocked online to share the most wild clips of Deadlock’s chaotic, skyrail-racing matches.
what 350+ hours of lash degeneracy looks like in deadlock pic.twitter.com/QkCH8kKkk5August 24, 2024
what 350+ hours of lash degeneracy looks like in deadlock pic.twitter.com/QkCH8kKkk5August 24, 2024
this game is goofy i love it #deadlock pic.twitter.com/EXwBx25I97August 23, 2024
this game is goofy i love it #deadlock pic.twitter.com/EXwBx25I97August 23, 2024
PlayStation’s FPS Concord, on the other hand, didn’t fare as well when it properly came to PS5 and PC earlier this week. We don’t have a clue for how well it performed on console, butSteamDBestimates that the hero shooter failed to even scratch 700 concurrent players on PC in its debut weekend. That puts its concurrent player peak below the troubled launches of games like Redfall, Gollum, and Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League, despite receiving overall strong praise from the people who did jump in.
Sonyknows how to launch a successful live service because it did just that with Helldivers 2 earlier this year. If Concord is also getting praise, then why is it fumbling so terribly?
One Concord developer claimed the game had been in development for eight years, meaning it began life straight after the first Overwatch’s debut, presumably to jump on the short lived hero shooter craze that has all but died down. Overwatch 2, Apex Legends, and Valorant are still majorly successful games, but new hero shooters are pretty much dead-on-arrival nowadays. Marvel Rivals only seems to be attracting so much interest because, well, it stars some of the most famous faces in the world right now - not to mention that Concord comes with a $45 price tag, as opposed to all of its free-to-play competitors.
PlayStation just came face to face with the highest highs and lowest lows that the genre can offer, right at the beginning ofSony’s live-service push.
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CATEGORIESPC GamingPS5PlatformsPlayStation
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”