Sony Cracks Down on Unofficial Concord Revival Project

The fan-created revival of Concord did not last long before Sony intervened. A mere fortnight after its inception, Sony sought to keep the game offline by issuing DMCA notices against this enthusiast led project, which aimed to bring back to life the live-service shooter as Concord Delta. A group of ardent Concord followers had creatively managed to breathe new life into the game through technical prowess. Despite its work-in-progress status and numerous bugs, the endeavor resulted in a playable build obtainable on a custom server. The group of developers who led the revival of Concord preemptively took steps to shield themselves, maintaining a small gaming circle. However, DMCA claims for copyright infringement against video content issued by Marscan, a company that routinely scans and monitors the web for copyrighted content owned by their vast client base, including Sony, have caused the team significant worry. This fear centres around the prospect of devastating legal consequences. One of the developers central to the project described the group’s growing anxiety in the project’s Discord group. He stated that due to the increasing possibility of legal actions, they have decided to suspend any new invitations for the time being. Notably, Sony has yet to target the custom server specifically designed for Concord Delta and has only engaged against video content showcasing the game in action on platforms such as YouTube and other social media sites. Concord, instead of enjoying a successful launch in 2024, ended in disaster. This failure led to the eventual closure of the developer firm, Firewalk Studios. Despite this failure, Sony reaffirms its commitment to live-service games. It has claimed to take away some crucial learning from the fiasco that was Concord, especially after having to issue full refunds to every purchaser. Interestingly, while discussing the significance of preserving video gaming history, the UK’s House of Commons cited Concord’s case.