Marvel Rivals Director Discusses Successful Aspects of New Release Compared to Concord

In a recent discussion, the game director of Marvel Rivals shed light on the reasons behind the rapid failure of Sony’s Concord in capturing a player base. This title’s swift shutdown has sparked ongoing debate, particularly as it struggled to engage both PC and PlayStation gamers.

While some critics attributed Concord’s shortcomings to “hero shooter fatigue,”others pointed fingers at its steep price tag of $40. However, the remarkable success of Helldivers 2 challenges the notion that pricing alone determined Concord’s fate.

Marvel Rivals, in contrast, is demonstrating that there is still a strong demand for innovative hero shooter experiences. According to Thaddeus Sasser, the director of Marvel Rivals, Concord fell short in delivering compelling reasons for players to invest time and resources in its offerings.

Lack of Unique Value in Concord

In an interview with the VideoGamer Podcast (as reported by PC Gamer), Sasser elaborated on his perspective regarding Concord’s abrupt downfall. He stated that the game “didn’t bring any value”to the hero shooter genre, particularly failing to lure in dedicated Overwatch fans or those loyal to other established titles.

Sasser highlighted the concept of “switching costs,” explaining that players often invest significant time and money into multiplayer games. The general sentiment among gamers appeared to be that Concord did not justify the investment required to transition from their preferred titles.

Even with a wave of public interest and positive feedback during the beta phase, Sasser noted that he and the Marvel Rivals team remained prudent as the release approached.

He remarked, “The truth is that I don’t think anybody can accurately predict this. There are numerous games that are hyped as likely to succeed, only to fail, and conversely, titles deemed likely to flop that achieve remarkable success. So, it’s genuinely challenging to make accurate predictions, leading to inherent concerns regarding outcomes.”

It is essential to recognize that despite some similarities, Concord and Marvel Rivals are not directly comparable. The former operated on a paid model, while Marvel Rivals adopts a free-to-play strategy. Nonetheless, Sasser’s insights regarding the lack of “unique value”in Concord may help clarify why it met such a swift demise.

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