Concord doesn’t look like PlayStation’s Overwatch — it looks like its Lawbreakers

Concord’s Lawbreakers connection reveals key lessons for success in crowded hero shooter market

The State of Play Revelation

While many observers quickly compared PlayStation’s new hero shooter Concord to Overwatch, the game actually demonstrates stronger parallels with the ill-fated Lawbreakers from 2017.

The May 2024 PlayStation State of Play arrived with surprisingly subdued energy compared to audience expectations. With Summer Games Fest approaching rapidly, many anticipated Sony would deliver the explosive reveals reminiscent of classic E3 presentations.

This subdued atmosphere felt particularly noticeable given PlayStation’s current game portfolio, which appears to lack major blockbuster announcements. Fans were eagerly anticipating news about Naughty Dog’s next project, potential Spider-Man DLC expansions, Ghost of Tsushima 2 developments, or updates on Bungie’s Marathon reboot.

Instead, the showcase delivered a more restrained presentation, with Concord emerging as the primary first-party Sony title alongside Astro Bot. Firewalk Studios’ debut project enters the competitive landscape as a 5v5 character-based arena shooter attempting to carve space in an increasingly saturated market.

The current gaming climate appears to be experiencing a notable resurgence of hero-based shooters. Concord joins recently announced titles like Star Wars Hunters and Marvel Rivals (which also featured in the showcase) in attempting to establish distinctive identities within this competitive genre.

Beyond Overwatch Comparisons

Naturally, Blizzard’s Overwatch casts an enormous shadow across the hero shooter genre, making comparisons to Concord almost inevitable. Surface-level similarities exist—both games feature character-specific abilities integrated with fast-paced multiplayer combat scenarios.

However, crucial distinctions emerge upon closer examination. While Concord includes diverse character sizes and some healing mechanics, it doesn’t appear to emphasize traditional role-based team composition involving dedicated support, damage, and tank characters. The gameplay focus seems centered on open arena combat with gunplay taking precedence over rigid team role structures.

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The actual gameplay experience aligns more closely with Lawbreakers than Overwatch.

I recognize this comparison might initially sound critical, but that’s not the intention—though I understand why some might interpret it that way. Lawbreakers gained notoriety primarily as a high-profile live service failure. This arena shooter, developed by Cliff Bleszinski’s Boss Key Studios and published by Netease, launched in August 2017 only to have its servers deactivated barely a year later.

Lawbreakers: The Good, The Bad, The Lessons

Despite its commercial failure, Lawbreakers contained genuinely excellent gameplay elements. It delivered a highly mobile arena shooting experience that incorporated hero abilities while maintaining emphasis on traditional gunplay and neutral combat encounters. The innovative low-gravity mechanics combined with objective-focused gameplay created exhilarating, fast-paced matches.

Lawbreakers somehow acquired the “Overwatch-like” label during its marketing, but this classification never accurately reflected its core identity. The game demonstrated far more similarity to classic arena shooters like Quake than to Blizzard’s MOBA-inspired team shooter.

Concord appears poised to potentially follow a similar trajectory. Despite gameplay footage demonstrating clear distinctions from Overwatch, the comparisons continue to plague the game’s reception. Concord emphasizes movement mechanics and shooting precision with character abilities serving as supplementary tools rather than primary gameplay drivers.

The similarities become particularly striking when examining specific gameplay elements. Both the gameplay trailer and cinematic preview feature an objective marker adorned with a small robotic face, strongly reminiscent of the Justin Roiland-voiced objective that players contested in Lawbreakers. The parallels between the two games are remarkably extensive.

I want to emphasize that my Lawbreakers comparison isn’t intended as criticism toward Concord. I genuinely enjoyed Lawbreakers during its brief lifespan. Concord further distinguishes itself through ambitious narrative elements, including weekly cinematic updates designed to progressively expand its universe. These unique features provide substantial opportunity for the game to establish its own identity.

Concord’s Critical Challenges

However, while my comparison highlights Lawbreakers’ positive attributes, it also evokes concerning parallels regarding potential pitfalls. There’s an undeniable sense of foreboding that Firewalk Studios might be repeating the same critical errors that doomed its spiritual predecessor.

The competitive shooter landscape has become overwhelmingly dominated by free-to-play business models. Games like Warzone, Fortnite, and Overwatch 2 demonstrate the powerful advantage of allowing players immediate access to popular shooters without financial barriers. However, official blog post language referencing pre-orders suggests Concord might adopt a paid-entry model.

Lawbreakers similarly avoided the free-to-play approach initially (only transitioning shortly before shutdown). It entered the market precisely as free-to-play became the standard for online shooters, making paid entry increasingly difficult to justify. While not the sole reason for its failure, this timing issue contributed significantly to the perception that Lawbreakers was a quality game released during an inopportune period.

Concord’s monetization strategy remains officially unconfirmed, with additional details promised soon. If the game launches at traditional retail pricing, achieving broad audience adoption appears challenging. While some players might appreciate the novelty of a one-time purchase for an online multiplayer experience, this would need to represent genuine value rather than serving as an initial fee preceding aggressive additional monetization.

Concord’s initial reception has been undeniably turbulent. PlayStation audiences have demonstrated limited enthusiasm, with the announcement trailer accumulating substantial negative feedback on YouTube. Widespread sentiment indicates growing hero shooter fatigue, particularly with multiple new entries announced recently.

Concord faces substantial challenges regardless of its quality. While its gameplay differs significantly from Overwatch, that comparison will likely persist, mirroring the unfair association that plagued Lawbreakers throughout its lifespan.

Path to Success

Nevertheless, it’s important to remember we’re still in early stages. Lawbreakers represented an enjoyable gaming experience hampered by poor management and unfortunate release timing. If Concord delivers quality gameplay, receives competent handling, and launches during an opportune moment, it could potentially achieve sustained success.

We should also acknowledge the speculative nature of current analysis. Thus far we’ve seen limited gameplay snippets, mode demonstrations, and character reveals. The July beta period will provide hands-on experience enabling more concrete assessments.

For Concord to succeed, it must forge its own trajectory rather than following paths previously traveled by failed predecessors. The game currently appears to be tracing the footsteps of earlier titles that ultimately faded into obscurity, but strategic adjustments could still redirect its course toward viability.

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