Firewalk Studios’ Concord was announced last year but received its first proper gameplay reveal at the recent State of Play. Despite the differences in setting and characters, the fact that it’s a hero shooter spurred some comparisons to Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch.
Fortunately, the development team seems to be taking these in its stride. In VGC’s first look, lead character designer Jon Weisnewski said, “I’m not bothered by it at all. Overwatch is a great game, and that team did some incredible stuff for the genre.
“At the same time, I strongly believe that our game has an identity that is unique to itself and that it plays like nothing else out there.”
Like Overwatch, Concord is a 5v5 first-person shooter with objective-based game modes. Players can choose from 16 characters at launch, each with unique loadouts and abilities. However, the real difference is apparent in its game modes, like Trophy Hunt, which plays more like Call of Duty’s Kill Confirmed. Clash Point sees teams battle over a control point, but with no respawns, in stark contrast to Overwatch’s King of the Hill.
Concord also offers an in-game Galactic Guide to track lore (with weekly vignettes further expanding on the same) and planetary history. Launching on August 23rd, it will be available for PS5 and PC. An open beta starts on July 18th, though pre-orders gain access on July 12th.
