Concord, a new PvP shooter revealed last year by Firewalk Studios, which counts several Activision and Destiny veterans among its developers, showed off some gameplay and shiny cutscenes during today's PlayStation State of Play May 2024 showcase. Importantly, it also locked in a July Concord beta and an August 23, 2024 release date on PS5 and PC.
The opening act is four minutes of solid CG work that couldn't be more like Guardians of the Galaxy if it tried to – because I'm pretty sure it's already trying to. We soon slide into just two minutes of gameplay, which presents an interesting mix of objectives and direct engagements. Valorant and Overwatch vibes creep in as we cycle through playable Freegunners with unique abilities, with characters ranging from stocky tanks to agile snipers. One big dude is straight-up named Star Child, just to hammer the Guardians of the Galaxy thing home.
Sadly, the official trailer cut the game dev commentary shared during the live stream, which contained some of the more interesting details for my money. Firewalk says Concord is partly inspired by fighting games and strategy games while focusing on a "tight, well-balanced FPS" experience, and features deployable items that may last for multiple respawns or even an entire match, like healing pads and bulletproof domes.
"Leaning into the asymmetry of the characters and really pushing the possibility space of two different characters colliding, it's all about creating opportunities for improvisation," says lead character designer Jon Weisnewski. "That's where we can get out of the way and let players find their own magic."
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