20 Trailers So Bad They KILLED Video Games
3. Concord
It goes without saying that Sony had unrealistically high hopes for Concord, considering the live-service shooter spent eight years in development and had a budget north of $200 million.
Despite being deemed too big to fail, Concord's cinematic trailer sparked backlash and ridicule on a monumental scale. Firstly, the design of each character was insultingly generic. The quippy Marvel banter prompted comparisons with Guardians of the Galaxy, raising concerns that Concord lacked an identity of its own, which is a recipe for death in an oversaturated and competitive genre. The footage didn't reveal any gameplay or mechanics, amplifying the trepidation surrounding the project. Rather than being "the future of PlayStation," Concord looked like another hero-shooter, nothing more.
The game launched with less than 700 concurrent players through Steam and had less than 25,000 sales overall. Two weeks after launch, the game was rendered defunct.
Concord may have been doomed no matter what, but there's no doubt the anticlimactic trailer sealed its fate. Although promotions are critical for success, Concord probably would've fared better if Firewalk Studios shadow-dropped the title with no advertising whatsoever.