Even though we're told that Firewalk Studios' Concord isn't a typical hero shooter, there's no denying the PlayStation exclusive shares a lot of DNA with the likes of Overwatch, Apex Legends, VALORANT, Marvel Rivals, and all the rest.

As with all of the above, fans were expecting some pretty heavy monetisation on Firewalk's behalf. After all, how else is a live service game supposed to keep running for years? However, a shocking reveal of Concord's post-release plans confirms the game won't have a traditional battle pass structure to maintain it. 

Concord won't include a battle pass

Posting online, Firewalk confirmed that Concord won't have a battle pass because it wants to make the game "a rewarding and robust experience on day one, where just playing the game, levelling up your accounts and characters, and completing jobs yields meaningful rewards."

This was followed up by Concord Gameplay Animation Director Mark DeRidder reiterating, "No Battle Pass, folks. You own Concord, Concord doesn't own you." This raises obvious questions about how Concord will sustain itself, as the whole reason Fortnite has remained at the top of its game is due to its battle pass.

Fellow PlayStation shooter Helldivers 2 comes packaged with an entrance fee AND has charged us for its battle pass. Instead, Concord slaps on a $40/£35 purchase price but will apparently make bank on cosmetic character customisation. There will be seasonal content like any other shooter, but you won't be hit in the pocket for it. 

Players welcomed the refreshing change on X (formerly Twitter) because it seems Concord isn't just after our dollars (for now). One supporter cheered, "W's in the chat for no Battle Pass," while another added, "You know what, I suck at this game but I'll still get it. No battle pass bullshittery alone deserves a buy." 

Sceptics have noted Concord's rather frost beta, which, no matter which way you sugarcoat it, failed to hit the highs it was expected. Someone else concluded, "Concord is not gonna be the best ongoing live service game. Concord not gonna make enough sales to keep game servers for the next several years."

Concord's FREE open beta peaked with just 2,388 players on July 18, which is shockingly low. Compare this to Marvel Rivals' own beta reaching 52,671, which means the latter had 22 times as many players. Concord might be trying to serve its players with a lack of battle pass, but the problem is, that it has to find those players in the first place.