PlayStation's big new live game won't have a battle pass

PlayStation's live service game won't have a battle pass, developer Firewalk Studios has confirmed.

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Sony has a unique game plan with its live service ambitions: Instead of going free-to-play, the PlayStation-maker wants to merge the worlds of premium and GaaS in one package. The company's next live game, Concord, will be sold at a premium $40 and will not rely on a battle pass to secure post-release monetization.

"You own Concord, Concord doesn't own you," said gameplay animation director Mark DeRidder. SIE and Firewalk are taking a similar approach as Helldivers II, which was also sold for $40 and includes a lot of free updates and content. Concord will likewise get a host of free updates that include new maps and characters. But unlike Helldivers II, Concord won't rely on the battle pass structure.

Will there be a Battle Pass?

Concord does not have a Battle Pass. We wanted to focus our attention on making Concord a rewarding and robust experience on day one, where just playing the game, leveling up your accounts and characters, and completing jobs yields meaningful rewards.

Will there be post-launch content?

Launch is just the beginning. We will be introducing new Freegunners, maps, mods, and more through regular post-launch seasons and updates available to all players at no additional cost.

Elsewhere in the mini FAQ on Twitter, Firewalk clarified that Concord will have a ton of unlockables that can be earned through gameplay alone:

"The progression rewards you saw in the beta are just a small sample of the unlockable items in the full game. When Concord launches, we'll have hundreds of items to customize your Freegunners, which you can earn just by playing the game, completing jobs, and leveling up your accounta nd characters.

"These rewards are cosmetic, do not impact gameplay, and include: outfits, wearables, and accessories, as well as weapon skins, weapon charms, victory and defeat poses, and drop-in animations."

That being said, Concord may not be off to a great start. The beta capped out at 2,388 players on Steam, and the game is rated 2.6 out of 5 stars on the PlayStation Store with 7.6K gamers having submitted ratings.

Should Concord fail to meet expectations, it's possible that Firewalk and Sony may pivot from this business model in an effort to recoup game development costs. We've seen this trend happen with other live service games, and right now, PlayStation's operating profit trends haven't been the most favorable.

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Concord will release on August 23, 2024 on Steam and PlayStation 5. It will retail for $39.99 at launch.