Sony's Legal Move Crushes Concord Fan Revival
Sony Interactive Entertainment has taken legal action against a group of dedicated fans attempting to revive the failed hero shooter Concord, effectively killing the game for the second time in just over a year.
The dramatic move comes after modders known as Red, open_wizard, and gwog successfully reverse-engineered the game to create a working version on custom servers. Despite the project being in its early stages, the team had managed to get Concord running and released two gameplay demonstration videos on YouTube.
The Precautions That Weren't Enough
The fan developers had taken significant precautions to stay within legal boundaries. They explicitly stated they would only host players who already owned the game files themselves and planned to conduct private playtesting rather than a public release.
'I know this sucks for people who got forcefully refunded, but lawyers are most likely already watching everything we do and I want to ensure this project stays as legal as we realistically can,' the team wrote on their Discord server before Sony's intervention.
They further emphasised their commitment to legality by promising to remove any posts containing links to copyrighted files. However, these measures proved insufficient to protect the project from Sony's legal team.
Sony's Aggressive Copyright Enforcement
Despite the fan team's careful approach, Sony filed copyright infringement claims against videos showcasing the project on YouTube and social media platforms. The legal pressure forced the developers to pause their efforts indefinitely.
'Due to worrying legal action we've decided to pause invites for the time being,' the team announced in their most recent Discord message, effectively halting the revival project.
The situation highlights the challenging position of game preservation efforts when they conflict with corporate intellectual property rights, even for games that companies have effectively abandoned.
Concord's Troubled History
Concord's original failure was both dramatic and comprehensive. The sci-fi hero shooter, developed by Firewalk Studios, was shut down just two weeks after its August 2024 launch, making it one of the most spectacular failures in recent gaming history.
The collapse didn't stop with the game's removal. Sony dismantled the entire Firewalk Studios operation just months after Concord's disastrous release, despite the PlayStation 5's strong sales performance during this generation.
While the game became emblematic of Sony's struggling live service strategy, it did maintain a small but dedicated group of defenders who appreciated its mechanics and potential.
Broader Implications for Gaming
This legal action occurs against the backdrop of Sony continuing to pursue live service successes following Helldivers 2. The company has several other live service titles in development, including:
- Bungie's Marathon, which has been indefinitely delayed
- Fairgames, a co-op heist shooter from Haven Studios
The Concord fan revival case raises important questions about digital preservation and the rights of consumers who purchase games that later become unavailable. By taking legal action against the last remaining enthusiasts for their failed product, Sony has potentially burned bridges with a segment of their audience that remained invested in the game.
As of now, it remains unclear whether Sony will pursue further legal action beyond the copyright claims against the demonstration videos. The future of the Concord revival project appears bleak, marking what many are calling the second death of a game that never really had a chance to live.
