Astro Bot, launched on September 6th to mark PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, surpassed Concord in UK sales despite initial underwhelming player impressions.
Astro Bot Launch and Sales
Astro Bot was developed by Asobi and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5 console. The game was launched on September 6th to mark PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, paying homage to over 150 PlayStation heroes. Since its debut, the game’s physical sales have been lower than expected. However, according to Christopher Dring, Head of GamesIndustry.biz, UK sales of physical copies in the first week exceeded global sales of Concord. It is anticipated that Astro Bot sales may increase over time.
Critics' Reactions and Ratings
Astro Bot also received high acclaim on Metacritic, becoming the highest-rated PlayStation 5 game of 2024 with a score of 94 points. The game outpaced other PS5 exclusives like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and competitors like Balatro and Hades II. High critic scores underscore the game's quality.
Concord's Failure and Consequences
Concord, developed by Firewalk Studios and published by Sony on August 23, was quickly discontinued due to poor performance. Just two weeks after its launch, the game was pulled from sale, and full refunds were promised to buyers. According to SteamDB, the game's peak online count was only 697 players. In a PlayStation blog post, game director Ryan Ellis stated that some aspects of the game were not aligned with the team’s expectations post-launch. Concord also ranked 21st in the top 40 PS5 sales charts.
Astro Bot has had a positive reception in the UK, while Concord faced significant issues leading to its discontinuation. Future reports on digital sales may provide a fuller picture of Astro Bot’s commercial success.
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