Tech
Sony Extends Concord Beta by a Day – IGN
Sony has extended the Concord early access beta by a day.
The early access beta, which Sony had opened up to all PlayStation Plus subscribers, was meant to end on July 14. It now runs to Monday, July 15, at 12pm PDT, 9pm CEST, 4am JST. The open beta is still set to run from July 18 to July 21, unless Sony decides to extend that too.
Players have got stuck in to the Concord early access beta over the weekend, and it seems to have gone down well with PlayStation 5 players. The early access beta is also available on PC via Steam only to those who have pre-ordered. There, the beta saw a peak concurrent player count of 1,124, set three days ago. At the time of this article’s publication, 150 were playing the Concord beta on Steam.
It’s not great numbers for Firewalk’s 5v5 multiplayer hero shooter on Valve’s platform, but this weekend, when the beta will be truly open to all across PS5 and PC, we’ll get a clearer idea of interest.
During the beta, all 16 of the launch Freegunners (player characters) are unlocked and available to play and customize. Here’s what you can play in the Concord early access weekend:
- Four maps: Freewater, Star Chamber, Water Hazard, Shock Risk
- Three modes: Cargo Run, Clash Point, Trophy Hunt
- All 16 Freegunners
This weekend’s open beta includes all the early access content plus new map Bone Mines and mode Area Control. It’s worth noting early access and open beta progress carries over between the weekends, but progress from either beta will not carry over to the official launch on August 23.
As for rewards, you get the Frog Weapon Charm (Frog stands for “From Orbit to Ground” and is the name of the Northstar’s drop ship), a Star Flare Icon, and Business Card for taking part.
Last month, Sony said Concord’s $39.99 price point “provides the full experience.” Following Concord’s divisive reveal during Sony’s State of Play showcase in May, some had wondered whether the live service hero shooter would release in free-to-play form. Confirming Concord launches in both physical and digital standard editions for $39.99 / £34.99 / €39.99, Pam Piscitello, director of marketing and operations at developer Firewalk, said in a post on the PlayStation Blog that this full experience includes all 16 playable characters, 12 maps set on various worlds, and six team-based modes. This will expand shortly after launch with regular, post-launch updates for all players at no additional cost, Piscitello added.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.