Sony shuts down fan-made Concord revival with legal action
▼ Summary
– Sony issued DMCA notices against a volunteer fan project attempting to revive the game Concord after its commercial failure and shutdown.
– Concord was removed from sale just two weeks post-launch on PS5 and PC, reportedly selling fewer than 25,000 copies, leading to developer Firewalk Studios’ closure.
– The fan project successfully reverse-engineered the game to make it playable on private servers, allowing matches but noting it was still buggy and in progress.
– Despite the team’s efforts to operate legally by only hosting players who owned the game legitimately, Sony filed copyright claims against related online content, prompting the project to pause invites.
– The UK House of Commons cited Concord’s shutdown in a debate on improving consumer protections and game preservation, highlighting the need for safeguards in such cases.
Sony has taken legal measures to halt a community-driven initiative aimed at resurrecting the online functionality of its discontinued multiplayer title Concord. The project, developed by a group of dedicated volunteers, sought to restore access to the game using privately operated servers, but has now encountered a series of Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown requests from the entertainment giant.
Concord’s commercial journey was notably brief. It was removed from digital storefronts a mere two weeks following its debut on PlayStation 5 and PC, with industry estimates suggesting it sold fewer than 25,000 copies. Sony initially communicated that the game would be taken offline to allow its developer, Firewalk Studios, time to evaluate future possibilities. However, the situation quickly escalated. Game director Ryan Ellis departed shortly after, and by the close of October 2024, Sony had shuttered Firewalk Studios entirely.
In the months that followed, a team of volunteer programmers worked diligently to reverse-engineer the game. Their efforts yielded significant progress, making the main menu, character selection, and online matchmaking functional on custom servers. On the project’s Discord server, one developer described the current build as a work in progress, confirming it was “playable, but buggy.” In a celebratory post, the team announced they had successfully played a full match, thanking contributors for their help in deciphering the game’s code.
The group operated with a clear focus on legality. They restricted access strictly to individuals who could verify they possessed the original game files from a legitimate purchase. The team was also quick to remove any posts or links that distributed copyrighted game assets, stating they wanted to keep the project “as legal as we realistically can” to avoid attracting legal scrutiny.
Despite these precautions, Sony has actively pursued the initiative, issuing copyright strikes against videos on YouTube and other platforms that showcased the revived gameplay. While it remains uncertain if direct legal action was taken against the developers themselves, the team has since paused all new invitations to the playtest. A developer posted an update citing “worrying legal action” as the reason for temporarily halting the project’s growth.
The situation with Concord has resonated beyond fan circles, entering political discourse in the UK. During a recent House of Commons debate concerning video game preservation and consumer rights, the game’s abrupt termination was cited as a key example. One Member of Parliament highlighted that while Sony did refund all purchases in this instance, such consumer protections are not guaranteed across the industry, underscoring the need for stronger safeguards for players when online games are permanently shut down.
(Source: EuroGamer)
