Summary
The downfall ofConcordhas been among the most spectacular in gaming history, with the ambitious title lasting a brief 2 weeks before its shutdown. However, one member ofConcord’s divisive cast will outlive their acquaintances, at least for a moment.
Many gamers foresawConcordbecoming a tragedyfrom minute one, after its first full trailers went down poorly. The game was trying to jump on the hero shooter, live-service bandwagon deep into the genre’s oversaturation all while sticking to a $40 asking price amid free-to-play competition. Safe to say, Sony’s latest gambit never cracked 700 concurrent players on Steam — and, given estimates of ~25,000 copies being sold, didn’t do much better on PlayStation. The game’s servers were shut down on September 6, dead after only 2 weeks on the market.
Amazon’s Secret Level Series Will Give One Concord Character A Final Swan Song
Given the game’s swift death, many wondered whetherSecret Level, an upcoming Amazon anthology showthat will tell a different video game story in each episode, would be ditchingConcord. Despite these concerns, IGN reported that, as of now, theConcordepisode will air. This isn’t much of a surprise;Secret Leveldebuts on December 10, meaning that the episode will be mostly finalized. If the show had only just entered production, it’d be much more likely to be scrapped.
Details on the series' plots are scarce, withConcord’s episode receiving very little trailer materialin particular. However, theSecret Leveltrailer does display the character Star Child for a few frames. Star Child — a large, well-built bruiser with a big gun and few words — was a big part ofConcord’s backlash. While not sporting the worst character design, he was the posterchild for the game’s derivative presentation, often called a carbon copy of Marvel’s Drax. Though he has been shown as a rather dull take on a well-worn archetype, Star Child will likely beConcord’s most enduring character.
There is a hypothetical perfect storm here, one whereSecret Level’s episode on Star Child is popular enough to reviveConcordin a new form.
Secret Level Could Be The Concord Story Firewalk Never Got To Tell
Concordhas a good deal of lore, with story elements and worldbuilding in place for a far larger franchise. Firewalk planned for a new cinematic to release each week after launch, progressing the game’s plot and adding depth to characters. Two of these actually saw release, with the first doing a decent job of humanizing Lennox — the protagonist of the game’s story trailer. Unfortunately, both cinematics lack the heart and style of those that accompany games likeApex LegendsandOverwatch. The former especially uses a variety of styles and narrative devices to grant each character a hook, allowing them to define characterization and complexity.
Secret Levelcould do this forConcord. From what little can be ascertained about the episode, it’s already apparent that the show will be tweakingConcord’s lackluster character designs. The version of Star Child inSecret Levelhas darker colors, and the growths on his face are extended. His skin also has more of a fleshy texture, as opposed to the near-metallic sheen of his video game counterpart. The series' trailer confirms a multi-style approach, so a lot could be done visually to enhance the character’s memorability.
Star Child’s Secret Level Episode Likely Won’t Revive Concord
Multimedia marketing is a force to be reckoned with, as is brand cross-pollination. There is a hypothetical perfect storm here, one whereSecret Level’s episode on Star Child is popular enough toreviveConcordin a new form. Though games likeMultiVersusdisappeared only to return later, and live services fromFallout 76toFortnitemanaged redemption arcs,Concord’s explosive decline and lack of unique qualities make it incredibly difficult to salvage. At the very least, it would require a total overhaul of its gameplay and visuals.
