Astro Bot has quickly become a critical darling, garnering widespread acclaim just hours after its release. Read on to learn more about the game’s success and how it defies the expectations set by Concord’s disappointing performance.
Astro Bot Earns Rave Reviews Amidst Concord’s Dismal Launch
A Tale of Two Sony Extremes
As September 6th dawns, Sony is experiencing a bittersweet moment. While the company grapples with the recent and indefinite shutdown of Concord, its highly anticipated 3D platformer, Astro Bot, launches with glowing reviews.
Astro Bot’s critical claim stands in stark contrast to Concord’s reception. At the time of writing, the game boasts a remarkable 94 score in Metacritic, making it one of the highest-rated standalone games of 2024 so far. Only the Elden Ring expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree, sits above it with a 95. Other notable releases include Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth at 92, and Animal Well and Balato at 91 and 90, respectively.
Game8 awarded Astro Bot a 96, praising how complete the game feels and even suggesting it as a potential contender for Game of the Year (GOTY). For our in-depth review of Astro Bot and how Team ASOBI knocked it out of the park, check out our review below!
In contrast to Astro Bot’s success, Concord’s fate, however, is less rosy. The 5v5 shooter launched to overwhelmingly negative reviews, earning a paltry 1.8 out of 10 user score and a 62 out of 100 critic score n Metacritic. As a result of this poor reception, Concord was prematurely shut down just two weeks after its release.
The critical blow to Sony comes at a time when the company is re-evaluating its original intellectual property strategy. As Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki stated in an interview with the Financial Times, "Whether it’s for games, films or anime, we don’t have that much IP that we fostered from the beginning. We’re lacking the early phase (of IP) and that’s an issue for us."
Analysts agree that Sony needs to focus on developing original franchises to remain competitive. "One thing that you need is IP, that is step one," Jefferies analyst Atul Goyal said in the same article. "And if you don’t start creating or buying in those that do, then the risk is someone else will do it. So the risk is not doing anything."
Despite taking the risk, Sony's acquisition of Firewalk Studios in 2023 proved to be a gamble, as Concord's disappointing sales performance didn't help matters. According to IGN’s Rebekah Valentine, citing information from analyst Simon Carless, "Concord’s total sales are sitting around 10,000 units on Steam, and around 15,000 on PlayStation."
Astro Bot has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and many hope that this enthusiasm will lead to strong sales. Developed by a team of just 65 people at Team ASOBI in three years, Astro Bot’s success could send a message to Sony about the demand for single-player games over live-service shooters, especially considering that Firewalk Studios, with more than twice the development team and almost a decade of work, couldn’t achieve the same level of acclaim.
Despite Concord’s recent closure, according to IGN’s source, the game will live on in Amazon’s upcoming anthology series, Secret Level. However, the series’ December 10th release on Prime Video might serve as a bittersweet reminder of Concord’s short-lived existence.
Source:
Metacritic’s List of Best Games on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC
Financial Times: ":Sony chief bets on original content as part of ‘creation shift’"
IGN:Concord Is Estimated to Have Sold Only 25,000 Units. Here’s Why Analysts Think It Failed
IGN: Concord Will Remain in Prime Video’s Secret Level Despite Game’s Sudden Cancellation - Source
