Beyond Astro Bot Is Pure Joy, Concord Is a Total Disaster - Beyond 861
Sep 5, 2024
Simon Cardy, a reviewer known for his insights on gaming trends, joins to discuss Astro Bot, a delightful 3D platformer packed with nostalgic references and engaging gameplay. He highlights its charming mechanics that evoke pure joy and offers players a colorful world to explore. In stark contrast, the team addresses the failure of Concord, which faced an underwhelming launch, leading Sony to pull it offline entirely. They discuss the challenges of sustaining live-service games in today's competitive market, questioning Concord's future as player expectations evolve.
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Prioritise Player Base Before Charging
- Free-to-play increases chance for multiplayer adoption; charging an entry fee raises a high barrier.
- Speakers recommended building characters and lore pre-launch with trailers and lore drops like Valorant did before monetizing.
Good Enough No Longer Wins In Hero Shooters
- Competent shooters are no longer enough; online hero shooters must be exceptional to break through.
- Concord was "fine, not bad, not great," which isn't sufficient against established games like Overwatch or Apex.
Pause And Refund When Launch Metrics Collapse
- If a live-service game isn't getting traction, be willing to pause and refund rather than let it linger.
- Sony pulled Concord offline and offered full refunds after early metrics showed weak engagement.