Sony locks digital copies of Concord so your PS5 won’t even try to launch them

Following the game’s closure, Sony has now either systematically locked or deleted digital copies of Concord from PS5 consoles. This means that you can’t even launch the game to get a server error. Your console simply can’t access the game.

Concord‘s servers were closed just 14 days after its launch due to a poor reception from players and feedback that Sony and developer Firewalk Studios received from fans during the game’s incredibly short lifespan. As of September 10, 2024, I’ve now found that my digital copy of the game is completely locked so that my PS5 can’t even attempt to launch it, and I’ve seen reviewers say their copies have been removed from their PlayStation Network libraries.

Ruthless removal

If you aren’t aware of this, you will be as soon as you turn on your PS5. Concord now has a lock symbol next to it on the home screen. When you try to launch a retail digital copy, it simply takes you to the product page on the PS Store after teasing you with a look at the game’s lovely artwork.

To see exactly what was going on, I checked my console storage. The Concord game files are still there, but the game simply won’t load. I don’t know if you can even still download the game at this point, and I will be keeping the files on my PS5 in case this is the last we ever see of the game.

Sony has gone one step further when it comes to digital review copies of Concord. VGC staffer Jordan Middler reported that his copy of the game had been removed from his PlayStation Network library, something neither of us has ever seen before.

Review copies of Concord are slightly different because they were provided by Sony and the developer for the purpose of reviewing the game. Retail copies have been refunded, so losing access to the game doesn’t sting at all. But locking the game files and outright removing review copies from libraries does seem quite heavy-handed.

While not exactly the same, this is similar to what Ubisoft did with The Crew when it shut down servers for that game. Copies were removed directly from user libraries, meaning only physical copies of the title exist.

Concord is in the same boat, and a quick look on eBay shows some people are still trying to sell physical PS5 copies at a premium because the game is no longer available on the PlayStation Store. However, while digital copies of the game exist on hardware like my PS5, it could still be preserved in the future.

Those of us who enjoyed the game are most concerned about whether we’ll see Concord return in free-to-play form or at all. I’d love to be able to play it again, but without Sony or Firewalk Studios telling us something, it looks like the game could be gone forever.