How Harmony crashed and burned days after launch

Key Takeaways

  • Harmony had a generic look and failed to draw consideration.
  • The sport’s style and console exclusivity deprived its success.
  • Lack of free-to-play mannequin restricted Harmony’s attain and longevity.



Alas poor Harmony … nicely we did not actually comprehend it. And but, simply 10 days after PlayStation launched its latest team-based hero shooter, the sport goes offline. Having been launched on August 23, it made it simply sooner or later previous Labor Day earlier than Sony determined to chop bait.

Whereas the pace PlayStation is shifting is a bit stunning, there have been indicators that the sport was in some severe bother simply after its launch. There have been some very sturdy indicators, as a matter of reality, that confirmed Concord was in trouble nicely earlier than its launch and that when it officially goes offline on September 6, online game builders can be suggested to take this into consideration shifting ahead.

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The hero style began with Overwatch in 2013, and immediately everybody jumped in to make their copy. Video games backed by massive studios equivalent to Apex Legends and Valorant tried to stake their declare. Many small-size video games tried to earn cash off the hype, with releases like Knockout Metropolis and most lately, the quickly to be launched Harmony, which appears destined to fail spectacularly. If a sport wasn’t copying the hero fashion precisely, it was implementing it with “specialist” lessons as latest iterations in Battlefield and Name of Obligation have carried out. This leads us to the truth that Marvel Rivals’ beta is lastly out. After a lot anticipation and a slew of streamers enjoying it, it looks as if the reception is….not nice. The sport has the attract of its IP, boasting a bunch of the long-lasting characters from the Marvel universe like Venom and Star-Lord. The maps are all well-known places from the largest comics in Marvel’s historical past. One of many massive, totally different options the sport has in comparison with different hero shooters is t

1 Harmony has a really generic appear and feel

The sport didn’t catch many eyes at its reveal

concord gameplay

Sony/Pocket-Lint


When Harmony was first revealed by way of a cinematic trailer, it appeared attention-grabbing. That was till folks received a have a look at precise gameplay. The character design, the concept of what was at stake within the sport world. All of it appeared too acquainted. There’s additionally the feel and appear of the weapons that the characters use on this hero-based shooter. Nothing actually set it aside from different video games on this style. Kudos to the builders for making an attempt to carve out its personal pocket of the market by piling in a ton of lore, however folks must have an interest within the sport within the first place for lore to take maintain.

2 Dwindling demand for Harmony’s sort of sport

concord theatrical still

Sony/Pocket-Lint


When hero-based and team-based shooters like Harmony are launched, they’re at all times going to be in comparison with what got here earlier than them. On this case, Harmony attracts comparisons to Overwatch because the king of this explicit hill for therefore lengthy. The issue is that even Overwatch is noticing a extreme lack of curiosity on this nook of the online game world. One want solely have a look at the slippage of players using Overwatch 2. PlayStation was making an attempt to slide its latest launch right into a class that has a dwindling fanbase at this level.

As soon as the sport goes offline on September 6, customers can get refunds for Harmony even when they would not qualify below the standard circumstances.


That was strike one within the growth of Harmony. Strike two is that hero-based or not, there’s a definite backlash towards Video games as a Service. Individuals don’t love the online-only factor. They don’t love the concept of paying for issues within the sport. When players hear {that a} title is a GaaS title, there will probably be backlash earlier than it is even launched. And if a sport is barely stay for 10 days earlier than it will get pulled offline, you will be certain there was loads of backlash.

3 Making it PS5 & PC unique

Console exclusivity was a foul thought by itself

I definitely perceive the will for Sony to begin to transfer on from the PS4. The PlayStation 5 has been round for the reason that fall of 2020. Builders don’t wish to must make a number of totally different variations of the identical sport for a similar platform. Nevertheless, the very fact is that the PS5 adoption charge nonetheless isn’t very best. Persons are nonetheless shopping for PS4s after they can discover them and enjoying a ton of video games on the last-gen console. Sony ought to have bit the bullet and put it on the PS4 and the PS5.


Likewise, the corporate shouldn’t have saved Harmony console unique. It’s comprehensible why they did. They wished this to be all theirs. However contemplating how they’re branching out a bit and not freezing out Microsoft, that is precisely the sort of sport that should get in entrance of as many pairs of eyeballs as doable. It appears doubtless Sony didn’t wish to take care of cross-platform compatibility however that was simply one in all their many errors.

4 No PS+ for Harmony at launch

Completely excellent sport to be supplied to subscribers

concord characters standing
Sony/Pocket-Lint


Together with ensuring Harmony received in entrance of as many individuals as doable, it was a fairly huge mistake to not supply this on PS+ proper from the beginning. There was discuss within the gaming neighborhood for the reason that title was first introduced that it must land on PlayStation’s subscription service ultimately. Why not do it at launch? Particularly in case you’re already limiting who can play it with era and console exclusivity.

That is one more reason Harmony ought to have been supplied on the Xbox. For those who put this factor on each PS+ and GamePass, there’s at the least an opportunity it will have an extended life. It appears not possible that it may have had a shorter one. The priority over the lack of cash for doing one thing like that is muted when you think about Sony is now providing refunds for everybody who purchased it.

5 Harmony wasn’t free to play

The positives of free-to-play outweigh the negatives for this sport

concord gameplay

Sony/Pocket-Lint


Sure, there are huge drawbacks to a sport going free-to-play. Nevertheless, there’s a purpose so many GaaS, team-based, and hero-based shooters are going that route today. The very fact of the matter is {that a} sport already being included in a dwindling market can have a greater probability of survival if it’s a sport somebody can simply decide up and take a look at.

Charging $40 for Harmony meant the builders didn’t have to fret as a lot about micro-transactions, which is nice! Nevertheless, charging $40 for such a sport doesn’t work anymore. That’s by no means been made extra evident than the following sport on this style, Marvel Rivals, which is being launched as free-to-play. It was a serious misstep proper from the beginning.


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