Concord will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest failures in the modern gaming era. Costing between $200M - $400M and taking the better part of 8 years to develop, this absolute monstrosity of a game managed to become the target of mass ridicule and mockery for it's hideous character designs, boring gameplay and $40 price tag. Rather than trying to appeal to the majority of gamers, aka paying customers, it was instead marketed to an imaginary customer base, commonly referred to as the "modern audience."
Games such as Concord, Dustborn, Flintlock; The Siege Of Dawn, Alan Wake 2, Star Wars Outlaws, etc., have all proven that developers who push the tenets of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in their games are only furthering the divide between gamers and game developers, rather than bringing them closer together.
Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars that these studios have managed to burn through on their never ending quest for a higher ESG score, it would seem that they have yet to learn their lesson. It was recently revealed by @OldeManGrim on Twitter/X that a new free to play extraction shooter had just opened up for a community playtest on October 17th. While this is a different approach than Firewalk Studios took with Concord, the result could very well be much of the same.
Holy hell! Concord 2.0 just dropped!! If you've never heard of Project Ethos, gather round boys and girls! @OldeManGrim stumbled onto a doozy!! 🧵 https://t.co/duYwZL8oNk
— Tebow (@MinEffortLive) October 17, 2024
This new extraction shooter, known as Project Ethos, looks like another soulless mashup between current titles like Fortnite and the now extinct PvPvE extraction shooter, The Cycle. The character designs, while not as hideous as those from Concord, very much have the same look and feel as many other current failures in modern gaming.
31st Union, a studio from 2K and who's president is former Sledgehammer cofounder Michael Condrey, is the San Francisco based studio behind Project Ethos. While you would think them being located in San Francisco would make their ideology pretty easy to assume, their website also makes a deliberate point in stressing their dedication to diversity, inclusivity, and representation.
From the About Us section of their website, they state, "We believe people will bring their best selves to work when they are treated equitably, can thrive in a psychologically safe space, and feel that they belong. We actively seek diverse ideas, perspectives, and cultures in order to provide collective understanding, identify better solutions, and promote a more inspired world."
Furthermore, they have job openings for people in Narrative Design/Writing that heavily encourages idea that pushing DEI is a primary job requirement. One of the Required Qualifications for a Writer is, "Strong passion for storytelling in games and an understanding of how to create representative and authentic characters by leveraging knowledge of today's pop culture and entertainment landscape." Also listed in Relevant Experience, they say, "A passion for diversity & representation in games & game development."
If you enjoy my coverage, make sure to check out the links to my YouTube and alt tech channels!!What's even more illuminating is the job opening for a Writer/Narrative Designer that heavily emphasizes these "core beliefs" of diversity, equity and inclusion. pic.twitter.com/FT6eiKhPFk
— Tebow (@MinEffortLive) October 17, 2024