Analysts have estimated Harmony PS5, PC gross sales to be round 25,000 models offered to date, and it has followers questioning if The Final of Us multiplayer‘s cancellation was a mistake. The scenario is fairly dire, to say the least, and worse than I assumed. I, like others, already projected Harmony’s eventual loss to be in hundreds of thousands, however what I didn’t count on was double digit launch gross sales throughout each platforms.
The Final of Us multiplayer had the benefit of a longtime franchise, not like Harmony
Harmony’s gross sales estimate was revealed by IGN, who spoke to a number of veteran analysts about what went so horribly improper with the sport. Even when we assume that this estimate isn’t fully correct, it could possibly’t be off by a whole lot and 1000’s, so all mentioned and completed, Harmony has bombed so exhausting that heads will roll. Frankly, I’m fearful about Firewalk. If latest layoffs and studio shutdowns are any indication, there may be little room for error within the trade amid ballooning budgets.
As I wrote earlier than, most gamers and reviewers don’t appear to think about Harmony a unhealthy recreation. However the normal consensus is that it’s merely not adequate to face out in a sea of comparable shooters. A lot has been mentioned in regards to the recreation’s price ticket, however Harmony’s open beta was free, and it was just about useless.
Whereas chatting with one in every of our readers, I mentioned that I really feel like Harmony — which was in growth for eight years — is about four years late to the party. Different comparable video games, like Overwatch, will not be solely free to play, however additionally they have established participant bases. Whereas Harmony was within the oven for almost a decade, the gaming panorama modified considerably, and Firewalk apparently wasn’t paying consideration.
There are far too many multiplayer video games vying for gamers’ time, and Harmony would have wanted to do one thing extremely distinctive to make a splash. Sadly, it didn’t, and right here we’re. At this level, I really feel like The Final of Us multiplayer would have been a a lot safer wager than Harmony, and I do know I’m not the one one.
Gamers in all places are questioning how one was canceled whereas the opposite obtained growth funds over the past three years at the very least (Sony introduced the publishing deal in 2021 however nobody is aware of how lengthy it has been funding Harmony). TLOU has the posh of being a longtime franchise, and the sport would have had the additional advantage of gross sales impressed by its profitable TV sequence, as seen within the case of Fallout 76. Heck, even a brand new Killzone or Resistance might have fared higher.
I don’t declare to know the way Sony makes its selections, nevertheless it doesn’t take an skilled to see that the corporate fully missed the mark right here (and with Foamstars). I do really feel unhealthy for many who poured their hearts and souls into Harmony’s growth, nevertheless it’s time for Sony to reevaluate its dwell service push.
Gamers do need new IP, however they don’t need the identical factor they have already got — typically without cost — disguised as a premium new IP.