Concord's Crash Landing: A Timeline of Misguided Choices

The Concord Catastrophe: How Forced DEI and Woke Politics Doomed Sony's Shooter

After eight years and a staggering budget, Sony's hero shooter Concord launched in 2024 only to crash and burn within two short weeks. While many factors contributed to its collapse, the most damning mistake was Sony's misguided embrace of forced diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Rather than focusing on innovative gameplay and authentic storytelling, Concord became a showcase for a politically driven agenda that alienated core gamers and set the stage for catastrophic failure.

Concord's Crash Landing: A Timeline of Misguided Choices

Teaser Trailer Backlash

The initial teaser released in 2023 was instantly lambasted—not for poor mechanics, but for its generic, "woke" art style that attempted to force diversity into every frame. Critics compared it unfavorably to timeless classics, noting that the emphasis on meeting DEI quotas resulted in characters that lacked personality and originality.

Abysmal Beta Testing

Both closed and open betas saw dismal turnout, with only a few thousand players signing up. Feedback was unanimous: the game felt not only uninspired but also burdened by a political agenda that seemed to check boxes rather than create compelling heroes.

Launch Day Disaster

Upon release, Concord's reviews quickly echoed these concerns. Instead of offering fresh gameplay or memorable characters, the game offered a hodgepodge of forced diversity that actively repelled players—its Steam peak of just 697 players contrasted starkly with competing titles.

Market Withdrawal

By September 2024, Sony had no choice but to pull Concord, offer full refunds, and shutter Firewalk Studios. With estimated sales of only 25,000 units against a budget exceeding $100 million, Concord stands as a stark warning that "woke" games not only offend core fans but also lead to crushing financial losses.

Dissecting the Disaster: How DEI Destroyed Concord

Missed Market Trends and Alienation

Concord was released into a market saturated with hero shooters that already had established fan bases. Rather than building on proven mechanics and appealing to a broad audience, the developers chose to emphasize a politically charged DEI agenda. This "forced diversity" approach alienated traditional gamers who simply wanted a well-crafted shooter. Many players took to social media—on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit—to voice that the game's overtly politicized messaging made it feel inauthentic and pandering. As one industry insider noted, the rallying cry "go woke, go broke" became a shorthand for the disconnect between what core gamers desired and what Concord was offering. In effect, the game's attempt to tap into modern social issues instead of capitalizing on established market trends left many players feeling insulted and ignored.

Unappealing Character Design

Forced diversity quotas led to a cast of characters that seemed more like a checklist of social justice markers than heroes with distinct personalities. Reviews and social commentary were rife with criticism of the design: characters were described as "ugly" and "indistinguishable" once the pronoun labels and other DEI-inspired details were factored in. Rather than creating memorable heroes that players could rally behind, Concord's characters were criticized for being bland and overly politicized. One critic remarked that the "woke" elements reduced the characters to nothing more than tokens—reminding gamers of a design by committee that sacrificed creativity for ideological conformity. In contrast, successful games in the genre—like Overwatch or even the non-woke Chinese shooter Black Myth: Wukong—manage to infuse personality into every hero, proving that diversity can exist organically without compromising character appeal.

Poor Marketing and Misguided Priorities

Sony's marketing campaign for Concord further compounded its downfall. Instead of showcasing innovative gameplay or unique storytelling, the promotional materials fixated on the game's DEI credentials. This focus on "woke" features, such as character pronoun displays and identity-driven design choices, overshadowed the game's actual mechanics. Traditional gamers, who value gameplay depth and fluid mechanics over political messaging, found the marketing confusing and off-putting. Moreover, Concord was sold as a premium title priced at $40 in a genre where many competitors are free-to-play, making the decision even riskier. Industry analysts have repeatedly cited this combination—a high price point, an oversaturated market, and a misdirected marketing strategy—as central to its failure. Instead of focusing on what made hero shooters fun—tight gunplay, engaging maps, and character synergy—Sony's approach pushed an agenda that simply did not resonate with the mass market.

The DEI Disaster: Wokeness as the Root of Collapse

While supporters of DEI claim that inclusion enriches gaming, the stark reality is that forced diversity has repeatedly proven to be a financial and creative death knell. Concord's demise is a cautionary tale: by prioritizing identity politics over genuine game development, Sony not only compromised the quality of its product but also provoked a backlash from its most loyal fans. Critics have pointed out that initiatives from consultancy firms like Sweet Baby Inc.—whose very name has become synonymous with "wokeness" in gaming—are directly responsible for steering major titles into disaster.

In a broader context, many analysts now predict that the era of enforced DEI in gaming is coming to an end. A recent YouTube exposé warned, "Video Games WILL Drop DEI, Too. Just Wait," arguing that the industry will soon abandon these failed policies in favor of returning to authentic, merit-based game design.

A Wake-Up Call for the Gaming Industry

Concord's collapse is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a larger malaise infecting the gaming world. As DEI continues to dominate boardroom decisions, major publishers risk repeating Concord's mistakes time and again. The New York Post recently decried the "woke takeover" of video games, asserting that the relentless pursuit of diversity—even when inauthentic—has already led to a string of failures across major titles.

For the industry to reclaim its creative spark and restore the trust of its core audience, a radical course correction is needed. Developers must abandon the ill-fated DEI mandates and return to what made games great in the first place: innovative gameplay, rich storytelling, and authentic characters that resonate with their fans.

Conclusion

Concord's tragic fall is a stark reminder that forced diversity and a "woke" agenda do not create compelling games—they create disasters. Instead of embracing superficial DEI initiatives that only serve to divide and alienate, the gaming industry must focus on quality, originality, and respecting the tastes of its core audience. The message is clear: if developers continue down the path of DEI-driven design, they are bound to face further losses and an ever-widening disconnect with the very players who built this industry.

It's time to say enough is enough. The future of gaming depends on abandoning the toxic politics of forced diversity and returning to the creative roots that once defined this great medium.