Forward-looking: Releasing a multi-million-dollar game that proved so unpopular it was removed from sale just two weeks after launch would make any company question its commitment to the genre. But despite the Concord debacle, Sony is not giving up on live-service games and will continue to focus on developing these titles.

Following an eight-year development cycle and a huge budget, the number of concurrent Steam users playing Concord peaked at just 2,388, with the PS5 version unlikely to have fared much better. Two weeks after launch, Sony delisted the online shooter, offered refunds, and shut down its servers.

A failure on that level would make most companies wary of continuing to make similar games, but it seems Sony has not been put off.

Speaking in a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu, PlayStation Co-CEO Herman Hulst said, “The game business is constantly changing due to various factors, including technological advances, new genres and ways of playing.”

“However, one thing that remains constant is people’s desire for great entertainment experiences, and attention to games continues to grow. However, this has also created competition, and like many companies in the industry, we have had to make changes to our business to solidify a more sustainable operating base.”

In apparent reference to Concord without mentioning the game by name, Hulst said that PlayStation and Sony will “continue to focus on developing live service titles along with the story-driven single-player titles that our players want.”

While Concord was an unmitigated disaster, Sony can point to one of its live-service games that has been a resounding success: Helldivers 2. Developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), the co-op shooter sold more than 12 million copies within three months of launch and has won numerous awards this year.

“We are learning a lot as we establish the ability to develop high-quality live service titles within SIE,” Hulst said. “Helldivers 2 attracted many players through continuous content provision, and achieved results that support the potential of live service titles.”

Several factors played a part in Concord’s failure. The competitive hero shooter market is a saturated one, dominated by free-to-play titles such as Valorant and Overwatch 2. Combined with its $40 price tag, low awareness, generic characters, and lack of standout features, it’s little wonder that Concord’s flopped as hard as it did.

There were also Concord’s extensive monetization features, which many people were especially unhappy to see in a full-price title. It brought to mind former SIE President and CEO Shawn Layden’s warning that parts of the industry have shifted focus from creating fun games to prioritizing monetization.

It might be surprising to hear Sony reaffirm its commitment to live-service games in the wake of Concord, but the company obviously expects to have another money-making machine like Helldivers 2 at some point, and the release of Helldivers 3 in the far future is a given.