The Unraveling Disaster of Concord: A Case Study in Gaming’s Media Blind Spot
Published on: [Insert Date Here]
In the summer of 2024, an entertainment project went more spectacularly wrong than possibly any entertainment project in human history. A venture that cost an estimated $400 million made back only $1 million, representing a flop that dwarfs the likes of movie disasters Joker: Folie à Deux and Borderlands. Yet, if you don’t read the specialized gaming press, there’s a good chance you’ve never even heard of it.
Concord was a multiplayer shooter game, developed over eight years by one of the largest entertainment companies in the world, Sony. Released into a crowded market of “hero shooters” where players choose pre-designed heroic characters for online battles, it felt generic and derivative, echoing Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in its character designs, narrative concepts, and color use.
However, the scope of its failure was surprising. Launched on August 23 for PlayStation 5 and PC, the game sold an estimated 25,000 copies, never exceeding 700 concurrent players on PC. It was such a monumental disaster that Sony took the game offline just 14 days post-launch and erased all traces of it from their websites and online stores, including removing it from PS5 owners’ gaming catalogs.
A $399 Million Loss
If estimates from industry experts hold true—and Sony has remained silent on disputing them—this project earned $1 million while losing $399 million. In comparison, the biggest movie box office loss was Disney’s 2012 film, John Carter, which grossed $284.1 million and lost $255 million.
Searching the New York Times for “Concord” yields no results, while articles on Folie à Deux are readily available, discussing its significant box office losses. When mainstream news considers gaming, it often begins with a cringe-worthy comment such as, “Video games have come a long way since the days of Pong!”
Imagine if a news segment about a major movie flopping started, “Films have come a long way since The Horse in Motion!”
The Impenetrable Wall
The failure of Joker 2 received extensive coverage. The first film, 2019’s Joker, grossed over $1 billion, creating a template for cultural discussion around sequels. This narrative contrasts markedly with the negligible media attention Concord received, despite its monumental scale.
The BBC did publish a piece on the topic under a “Newsbeat” byline, aimed at younger audiences. This reflects the persistent division the press maintains around gaming, effectively treating it as a subject meant primarily for children.
Fifty Years Later
Historically, video games were seen as children’s playthings, despite many games catering to adult audiences. Even as successful franchises emerged, prevailing media narratives limited coverage to a niche sector. The divide between gaming and mainstream media remained, as evidenced by the minimal coverage of Concord, despite its fallout and significance.
It was commonly thought this divide would fade as new generations of reporters—those who grew up gaming—entered newsrooms. Yet, we find ourselves in 2024 with major gaming stories still neglected by most media outlets, underscoring a lack of engagement with a dominant form of entertainment.
We’re All Playing Games
The notion that gaming is not universally enjoyed is increasingly outdated. While not everyone may be a devoted gamer, gaming’s dominance in mainstream culture is undeniable. Call of Duty and mobile gaming titles demonstrate widespread appeal, making the ongoing neglect of significant gaming stories, like that of Concord, a glaring oversight in mainstream journalism.
As gaming continues to flourish, the media’s disregard for its impact represents a failure of understanding and coverage that should be called into question.