In the past week, there's been a lot of buzz around Sony's new multiplayer shooter, Concord . Surprisingly, the chatter isn't about the game’s success but rather its lack of players. While it's common for some games to underperform at launch, Concord ’s particularly poor debut has drawn attention because it’s a high-profile Sony first-party title. The game’s launch on August 23 saw just 697 concurrent players on Steam, and the numbers haven't improved much since. As of now, only about 130 people are playing the game on Steam—a shockingly low figure, even for a title with average reviews. While low launch numbers can sometimes be misleading, that doesn't seem to be the case here. Liam Deane, a principal analyst at Omdia, stated, "The Steam numbers are so bad that even without exact PS5 data, it's clear the game is doing very poorly." Other analysts provided some insight into the PlayStation side as well. Mat Piscatella from Circana, using data from Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, noted that on August 26, Concord  ranked 147th among US PS5 daily active players, with less than 0.2% of active PS5 users playing the game that day. Simon Carless, who writes the GameDiscover.co newsletter, estimated that Concord has sold around 10,000 units on Steam and about 15,000 on PlayStation as of August 28, 2024. As it turns out, creating a fun, high-quality shooter isn’t enough in today’s crowded live-service market. Several analysts pointed out that Concord had been in development for years, with significant financial and time investment from Sony. The game was well-produced, and as Rhys Elliott from Midia Research mentioned, it’s enjoyable to play. The $40 price tag also hurt the game, especially since its main competitors are free-to-play. As Carless pointed out, multiplayer shooters face an uphill battle unless they can persuade entire groups of friends to switch games. Players are often reluctant to abandon their current games, where they’ve invested time and money in cosmetics and other perks. This issue also extends to content creators, who risk losing their audience if they switch to a new, unproven game. Free-to-play games allow players to try them out without financial commitment, but Concord 's $40 price makes that unlikely. Van Dreunen mentioned that this is particularly problematic near the end of a console cycle when players are more cautious about spending on new games. Timing also played a role in Concord ’s struggle. It launched on August 23, just three days after Black Myth: Wukong , a much-hyped game that overshadowed Concord  in terms of marketing and sales. Concord ’s release date was announced five months after Black Myth: Wukong ’s, but Sony didn’t adjust the timing to avoid this clash. Concord ’s failure has drawn attention because it contrasts starkly with its status as a Sony first-party title in a popular genre, yet it launched to an almost complete lack of interest. But the reasons behind its failure are straightforward. Sony chose not to heavily market the game, set a high price point despite fierce competition from free-to-play titles, and failed to offer something truly unique in an overcrowded market. Even if these factors had been different, Concord  was always facing an uphill battle—one that will only get tougher as more multiplayer shooters are released in the coming years.

Andrew C. Greenberg, the co-creator of the seminal Wizardry RPG series, has passed away at 67. His death was announced on Facebook by his Wizardry collaborator, Robert Woodhead, and also shared on Twitter by game developer and design professor David Mullich. Greenberg and Woodhead's contributions to RPGs and PC gaming are immeasurable. Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord  was one of the first recognizable RPGs available on home computers. It brought the experience of tabletop RPGs and games designed for the powerful PLATO mainframes found on college campuses to the Apple II, a home computer. Wizardry was groundbreaking in many ways, including being one of the earliest RPGs to allow players to control a full party of characters, each with unique abilities and traits. Players explored a vast, first-person, wireframe labyrinth, uncovering hidden doors, evading traps, and facing formidable enemies. At the dungeon's end awaited the "Mad Overlord" Werdna⁠—a playful nod to Greenberg’s own name, Andrew, spelled backward. Greenberg continued to use this moniker long after his gaming career, adopting it as a personal email handle and the username for a YouTube channel where he documented his work on a bowling scorecard program. The impact of Wizardry, alongside the Ultima series, was profound throughout the 1980s, with both games and their sequels being ported to major personal computers like the Commodore 64 and MS-DOS PCs. Wizardry's influence was particularly strong in Japan, where it contributed significantly to the birth of the JRPG genre. Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has frequently cited Wizardry as a major influence and recalled in a 2022 tweet meeting Robert Woodhead, remarking, "When I think back, it all started 40 years ago when I got really into Wizardry." After developing the Star Saga games in 1988 and '89, Greenberg transitioned from the gaming industry to a legal career, initially specializing in intellectual property law in Florida before becoming general counsel for the renewable energy company Xslent. Despite his career shift, Greenberg's passion for programming endured, as evidenced by an archived version of his personal website and his active YouTube channel. A 1999 letter shared on a Wizardry fan site reveals that Greenberg married Sheila McDonald, a Wizardry playtester, and the couple had two children. Though Greenberg left the gaming industry long ago, his legacy continues in modern RPGs, from Baldur's Gate to Persona. His work on Wizardry is still accessible today, especially through Digital Eclipse’s recent remaster of the original game, which includes a picture-in-picture view of its classic 1-bit graphics and was developed with input from the Wizardry creators.

PlayStation is set to take offline the newly released live service game Concord, developed by Firewalk Studios, this Friday, only two weeks after its August 23 launch. Alongside the shutdown, the company will be issuing refunds to all players. Concord, a team-based first-person shooter, has struggled to attract a significant player base since its release on PlayStation 5 and PC. According to SteamDB, a third-party PC gaming data website, the game had just 30 active players at the time of reporting on Tuesday. At its peak, “Concord” reached 697 concurrent players—a notably low number for a new PlayStation title—and it ranked near the bottom of PlayStation’s weekly sales charts. Often compared to the popular multiplayer shooter “Overwatch,” “Concord” allows players to form crews of Freegunner space outlaws aboard the spacecraft Northstar, competing in online matches between two teams of five. However, the limited number of players made finding matches increasingly difficult, detracting from the overall gaming experience. In a blog post published by PlayStation on Tuesday, Ryan Ellis, game director at Firewalk Studios, addressed the situation. “Concord fans — we’ve been listening closely to your feedback since the launch of Concord on PlayStation 5 and PC and want to thank everyone who has joined the journey aboard the Northstar. Your support and the passionate community that has grown around the game has meant the world to us. However, while many qualities of the experience resonated with players, we also recognize that other aspects of the game and our initial launch didn’t land the way we’d intended. Therefore, at this time, we have decided to take the game offline beginning Sept. 6, 2024, and explore options, including those that will better reach our players. While we determine the best path ahead, Concord sales will cease immediately and we will begin to offer a full refund for all gamers who have purchased the game for PS5 or PC.” According to PlayStation, customers who purchased Concord from the PlayStation Store or PlayStation Direct will receive a refund to their original payment method. Players who bought the game through Steam, the Epic Games Store, or physical retailers will receive refunds through those respective platforms. Once refunds are processed, players will no longer have access to the game.

Despite some pre-release criticism, Star Wars Outlaws  has been a major success since its August 30th launch, with community backlash toward Ubisoft seemingly having little impact on its popularity among mainstream audiences. Even with just one day on the weekly sales chart, Star Wars Outlaws  claimed the number one spot, highlighting both Ubisoft's prowess as a developer and the enduring appeal of the Star Wars  brand. Kay Vess, a newly introduced character to the Star Wars  universe, is a central figure in the game, which has captivated fans. However, one notable absence from the video game charts is Black Myth: Wukong . Despite its massive launch, which saw over 2 million concurrent players on Steam and 10 million sales in its first three days, it didn’t chart. This is likely because the physical PS5 release didn’t include a disc, offering only a digital activation code, prompting most players to purchase directly from online stores. Had it included a disc, its absence from the charts would be surprising given its immense popularity. It will be interesting to see how Star Wars Outlaws  fares on the U.S. sales charts when those figures are released in a few weeks. Last month, College Football 25  and its MVP Bundle, which included Madden 25 , dominated the charts in the top two positions, with College Football 25  quickly becoming the best-selling game of 2024, dethroning Helldivers 2 . As we approach Autumn, the gaming world braces for the arrival of heavy hitters like Black Ops 6 , The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom , and Assassin’s Creed Shadows .

The success of Black Myth: Wukong  continues to soar, with a new Bloomberg report confirming key details about the action RPG, which has set records on Steam and received glowing reviews. Game Science has officially announced that the game has sold 18 million units to date, with a production budget of around $70 million. Gaming budgets are skyrocketing, and Black Myth: Wukong  demonstrates how the industry can navigate these financial challenges. Already a fan-favorite, Black Myth: Wukong  was developed over six years, during which Game Science expanded its studio and prepared for AAA-level production. The $70 million price tag is notable, as most AAA games typically cost much more. Despite this modest budget, the game has been praised by fans and holds its own against titles that cost over $100 million. Thanks to its efficient production, Black Myth: Wukong  has been highly profitable. With 18 million copies sold, it has generated close to $1 billion in revenue, prompting the studio to confirm plans for DLC. No one expected China’s first AAA game to perform this well, but Game Science is continuing to aim high, promising even more immersive experiences in the future. With the game’s overwhelming success, all eyes are on Game Science to see where the story of the Destined One will go next.

The upcoming Nintendo Switch successor, referred to as the Switch 2, is rumored to include backward compatibility, according to the latest reports. Industry insider Nate the Hate has revealed through his sources that the Switch 2 will support backward compatibility. He shared this insight following news that Hosiden, a key assembler for Nintendo, invested 2 billion Yen in production equipment and 1 billion Yen in automation in March 2025, likely linked to its major client, Nintendo. Backward compatibility seems like a logical feature for the Nintendo Switch 2, and this isn't the first time it has been mentioned. Previously, Nate the Hate shared on the gaming forum Reset Era that partner developers are already testing this functionality on the new, unannounced hardware. However, the extent of any graphical improvements that may come with backward-compatible games remains unclear. Nate had earlier expressed skepticism regarding substantial performance enhancements for older games, predicting that developers might re-release titles with updates instead of issuing free patches to save costs. In an October 2023 interview, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser hinted at the likelihood of backward compatibility for the Switch 2. When asked about easing the transition for current Switch owners, Bowser highlighted the importance of the Nintendo Account system. Unlike past consoles that required new account setups, the Nintendo Account is designed to carry over to future platforms, potentially making the transition to the Switch 2 smoother for players and preserving their content investments.

The collaboration between Sony and Arrowhead Game Studios has sparked controversy. While the Japanese publisher played a significant role in elevating Helldivers 2  to unexpected heights, some decisions have also contributed to the game's decline. However, Arrowhead views the partnership positively, attributing much of the responsibility for the game's challenges to themselves. In a recent discussion on the official Helldivers 2  Discord server, Arrowhead Game Studios' CEO, Shams Jorjani, addressed concerns surrounding the recent blog post outlining the 60-day roadmap. Among the questions raised, one key issue was the Escalation of Freedom  update, which sparked backlash leading to the roadmap announcement. Jorjani acknowledged that “Escalation of Freedom was a bit underwhelming, and the flamethrower overshadowed much of the good content." This led them to admit that “the marketing for the update might have been overhyped, given it wasn’t a massive content drop,” though Jorjani emphasized that “90% of the update was good.” In defense of Sony, Jorjani added, “Sony did their job. It was us who didn’t deliver enough.” Both companies have faced criticism regarding Helldivers 2 . Earlier this year, Sony was criticized for requiring players to link a PSN account, which resulted in players from 180 countries being unable to purchase the game due to unavailable services in those regions. This led to over 154,000 negative reviews. Arrowhead has also faced backlash for its approach to updates, particularly reactionary nerfs based on weapon popularity, which has driven some players away from the game. Whether Arrowhead Game Studios can recover remains to be seen, but players won’t have to wait long. The first update from the 60-day roadmap is scheduled for release on September 17th, with Jorjani teasing that the patch notes will span "6-8 pages," signaling significant changes—hopefully for the better.

PlayStation’s venture into live-service games began a few years ago, leading to major releases like Helldivers 2  earlier this year. However, the company's efforts in this space have been less successful than anticipated. When examining the lineup of games released and announced, it’s evident that Helldivers 2  is an outlier. Over half of PlayStation's live-service projects have either failed or been canceled. PlayStation has likely invested millions into these projects. Concord  alone had a budget exceeding $100 million, and these setbacks could pose long-term challenges for the company. Many of these projects are either still in development or have been canceled, with six major cancellations so far. Among them, Spider-Man: The Great Web was scrapped early on, while Naughty Dog’s multiplayer ambitions for The Last of Us 2 were halted much later, and London Studio was recently shuttered. Deviation Games also faced layoffs, resulting in another canceled title. Leaks suggest that Twisted Metal  is no longer in production, and Payback —a Destiny  spin-off by Bungie—was canceled early in its development. Meanwhile, both Concord  and Destruction All-Stars  flopped post-launch. Although Foamstars  was not a first-party title, it was marketed as a PlayStation exclusive. After a lukewarm reception, Square Enix transitioned the game to a free-to-play model. In total, 9 out of 16 live-service projects have failed. Sony acquired Bungie for its live-service expertise, but even Bungie’s upcoming project Marathon is reportedly facing difficulties. Meanwhile, Fairgame$ seems at risk of following Concord’s trajectory, though PlayStation still has time to adjust its strategy. As for titles from Guerrilla Games and Bend Studio, little is known at this point. PlayStation’s live-service efforts haven’t panned out as hoped, and it seems the company is scaling back its ambitions. Moving forward, PlayStation plans to release six major live-service titles by 2026.

Sony has officially unveiled the PlayStation 5 Pro, a mid-generation upgrade for its current gaming console. During a technical presentation led by system architect Mark Cerny, Sony announced the PS5 Pro's release date, price, specifications, and more. The presentation, lasting just 9 minutes, covered all the key details about the new PlayStation. The brief video, available on YouTube, showcases the PlayStation 5 Pro in great detail. Touted as the "most powerful console" PlayStation has ever created, the PS5 Pro introduces PSSR upscaling, enhanced ray-tracing, an upgraded GPU, and additional improvements. R elease Date Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation 5 Pro will be released on November 7, 2024, just in time for the holiday season. This comes four years after the original PS5, a year longer than the three-year gap between the PS4 and PS4 Pro. Specifications In addition to the release date, Sony confirmed the long-rumored specs of the PS5 Pro, which significantly enhance the base model. Here are the official specs: Storage 2TB SSD CPU 8 Core AMD Zen 2, boost-clocked up to 3.85 GHz GPU RDNA 2 GPU with 60 Compute Units RAM 13.7GB (shared between system and games) Bandwidth 576GB/s Ports HDMI 2.1, USB-C x 2, USB-A x 2 (10Gbps) Expansion Slots NVMe SSD slot, USB HDD/SSD support via USB 3.1/USB-C 3.1 Connectivity Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 Price The PS5 Pro will retail for $699.99/£699.99/€799.99. For comparison, the original PS5 launched at $399.99 for the Digital Edition and $499.99 for the Standard Edition, making the Pro a pricier but more advanced option. Design The PlayStation 5 Pro closely resembles the current PS5 Slim in terms of design. As previously leaked, it features a tall white chassis with three black stripes on the side. Notably, the PS5 Pro does not include a built-in disc drive. Players who wish to use physical media will need to purchase an external disc drive, which Sony will sell separately.

This year has been tough for the gaming industry, and Microsoft's gaming division appears to be no exception. After a significant 8% staff reduction earlier this year, a new report reveals that an additional 650 jobs have been cut from the company's gaming sector. According to an internal email from Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's gaming division, these layoffs primarily impact corporate and support roles, particularly within Activision-Blizzard, following the $69 billion acquisition in October 2023. “As part of aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business, we have made the decision to eliminate approximately 650 roles across Microsoft Gaming—mostly corporate and supporting functions—to organize our business for long-term success," Spencer explained in the email. He emphasized that these cuts will not affect Xbox leadership or the gaming teams, and no games, devices, or experiences will be canceled. This latest wave of layoffs adds to the already substantial job cuts seen across the gaming industry this year. Microsoft had previously laid off 1,900 employees, impacting various roles, and also shut down several studios, including Tango Gameworks. Fortunately, Tango was later acquired by Krafton, along with its Hi-Fi Rush IP. We hope those affected by these layoffs are able to find new opportunities soon.

OpenAI has unveiled a new series of AI models called o1, specifically designed to enhance problem-solving abilities and improve complex reasoning skills. According to OpenAI, o1 represents a major advancement in AI technology, offering a more human-like approach to tackling challenges. But does it truly live up to this claim? Pygame, a game engine built on the widely accessible Python programming language, is often a gateway for beginners learning game development. Given its relatively straightforward nature, it’s the perfect testing ground for an AI model’s coding abilities. In a video shared on X, researcher Jason Wei gave the o1 preview a prompt: "Use Pygame to make a game called 'Squirrel Finder.'" He described the game's core mechanics, what should appear on the screen, and even provided a few PNG images for use as graphics. OpenAI o1 produced functioning game code, albeit basic, which could be pasted into a text editor and run using the Pygame engine. One standout feature of the o1 models is their ability to take more time to contemplate before responding. This allows them to refine their approach, identify errors, and deliver more precise solutions. In extensive testing, the o1 models have excelled in fields like science, coding, and mathematics. As OpenAI explains: "OpenAI o1 thinks before it answers and can generate a long internal chain-of-thought before responding to users." Though still in its early stages, the o1 series has already outperformed earlier AI models in reasoning. OpenAI has even reset its naming system to emphasize the significance of this leap in AI capabilities. Safety and ethics have been central to the development of the o1 models, which is crucial given the rising concerns about AI technologies. OpenAI has implemented a new safety training approach that relies on the models’ reasoning to ensure adherence to ethical guidelines. To minimize risks, rigorous testing and evaluation protocols are in place. If developed responsibly, the o1 models could mark a major milestone in AI's evolution.

Bandai Namco and Dimps have revealed Freedom Wars Remastered , an updated version of the 2014 PS Vita action RPG from Sony Interactive Entertainment, which includes all previously released downloadable content. The remastered edition is set to launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam on January 9, 2025, in Japan, followed by a global release on January 10. In a bleak future where the world is ravaged by pollution and stripped of natural resources, humanity is confined to massive prison cities called Panopticons. Citizens, branded as "Sinners," are sentenced to a million years simply for existing. Players take on the role of these Sinners, fighting in dangerous combat missions to earn their freedom by securing dwindling resources for their Panopticons. In an interview with PlayStation Blog Japan, Takashi Tsukamoto, the director of the original Freedom Wars and development producer for the remastered version, shared some insights into the project. "We’ve wanted to create a sequel ever since the original release, but the opportunity never arose. Now, with Bandai Namco as the publisher and the 10th anniversary approaching, the timing felt right to revisit the game." Tsukamoto also addressed why Bandai Namco is publishing Freedom Wars Remastered  instead of Sony, the original publisher. "We [Dimps] acquired the license from Sony Interactive Entertainment to remaster the game and were searching for a publisher. Bandai Namco stepped in and generously offered to take on that role." With its blend of fast-paced action, deep customization, and strategic multiplayer, Freedom Wars Remastered  promises to deliver an enhanced experience for both new and returning players.