Concord’s $39.99 price point “provides the full experience,” Sony has said.
Following Concord's divisive reveal during Sony's State of Play showcase in May, some had wondered whether the live service hero shooter would release in free-to-play form.
Confirming Concord launches in both physical and digital standard editions for $39.99 / £34.99 / €39.99, Pam Piscitello, director of marketing and operations at developer Firewalk, said in a post on the PlayStation Blog that this full experience includes all 16 playable characters (called Freegunners in-game), 12 maps set on various worlds, and six team-based modes.
This will expand shortly after launch with regular, post-launch updates for all players at no additional cost, Piscitello added.
“From the very beginning, we wanted Concord to be a complete multiplayer-focused experience that combines engaging gameplay, rewarding progression, and a robust roster of characters, maps, and game modes right out of the gate, while also creating a platform for us to evolve and expand the game and universe over time,” Piscitello commented.
As is the modern video game way, the more expensive Digital Deluxe Edition ($59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99) gives early access to Concord when it launches this August. That amounts to up to 72 hours of early access before the global launch on August 23.
As already announced, a pre-launch beta is set for PlayStation 5 and PC with cross-play support. Those who pre-order get early access to this. Pre-ordering any edition of Concord grants you five codes for the beta early access weekend in July.
By launching Concord on PS5 and PC simultaneously priced $39.99, Sony is replicating the release strategy employed for Arrowhead’s co-op shooter Helldivers 2, which went on to become the fastest-selling PlayStation game of all time with an incredible 12 million copies sold in just 12 weeks.
Cheaper price points and simultaneous releases on PS5 and PC may be the way forward for Sony’s live service games, if Helldivers 2 and now Concord are evidence of an overall strategy. Sony has insisted it will continue to release its big ticket single-player games on console first before coming to PC later.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
