Marvel Rivals director reckons Concord flopped because it wasn't original enough: "I don't think anybody can accurately predict this"

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"I think the trick is that you need to have that reason that people want to come and play your game."

Venom, Spider-Man, Peni Parker, Scarlet Witch, Magneto, and Storm pose in artwork for Marvel Rivals
(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals is a rare success in the live service arena that's taken countless high-profile victims this year, having pulled over 10 million players in just three days, but the (super)hero shooter's director has said he believes Concord failed to find the same success because it "didn't bring any unique value."

Despite entering into a subgenre where Overwatch 2 dominates, Marvel Rivals and Concord had two very different fates. Marvel Rivals seems to be a massive hit at the moment, while publisher PlayStation took Concord round back after its launch and then eventually shut down the entire studio. 

In an interview with the VideoGamer podcast, Marvel Rivals director Thaddeus Sasser suggests Concord flopped since it "didn't bring any unique value" to gamers. He explains that "there's a switching cost" in live services where players who have already invested time (and sometimes money) into a game will be less willing to switch to another: "I've already invested in Overwatch, I've got 15 skins for Pharah, I'm not going anywhere." Marvel Rivals had a leg-up in that respect since it's a free-to-play release, as opposed to Concord's $40 entry fee.

Sasser definitely makes a solid point about why it's so hard to attract players who are already knee-deep in other games, but it's still harshly worded since Concord certainly had some "unique" ideas and it's not like Marvel Rivals is the most original shooter out there either (some movesets feel like they're ripped straight from Overwatch.)

As Sasser admits, Marvel Rivals' main attraction is in its name. "I think the trick is that you need to have that reason that people want to come and play your game and I think Marvel Rivals does that exactly with the superheroes," he said. "I want to be those heroes in the game." But despite having some of pop culture's biggest faces in the game, Sasser was still "worried" about how players were going to respond. 

"The truth is that I don't think anybody can accurately predict this or the game industry would be radically different today," he said. "There's a lot of games that come out that people are like 'it's going to do well' then it flops... I think it's really hard to tell ahead of time."

Don’t miss a beat with our Marvel Rivals character tier list and best heroes guide. 

Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.