A group of dedicated gamers and developers are on a mission to revive a canceled game, Concord, and bring it back to life. This story is a testament to the power of passion and the determination to preserve gaming history.
Concord, an Overwatch-inspired shooter developed by Firewalk Studios and Sony Interactive Entertainment, had a brief moment in the spotlight before its untimely demise. Despite having a dedicated fan base, the game's low player count and poor sales led to its removal from stores and digital marketplaces. Sony even went as far as shutting down Firewalk Studios, leaving over 200 people without jobs and dashing any hopes of Concord's return.
But here's where it gets controversial: a trio of hobbyist reverse engineers, known as real, Red, and gwog, are determined to bring Concord back from the dead. In an interview with Aftermath, they shared their journey and the challenges they faced.
Gwog, one of the reverse engineers, explained their motivation: "I enjoy the virtual equivalent of taking things apart and putting them back together." It's a labor of love and a technical challenge that drives these enthusiasts.
The group has made significant progress, getting a build of Concord running and even posting a video of the match on YouTube. Red, who has experience bringing games like LawBreakers back online, said it was his first time playing Concord. He was drawn to the game after hearing about its demise and felt compelled to take action.
Red outlined the two methods for reverse engineering a game like Concord and running it on a server. He chose a method that essentially turns the game into its own server, a complex process that involves filling in gaps and recreating missing code. It's like finding a needle in a haystack, but the challenge keeps them motivated.
Concord's anti-tamper software posed a significant obstacle, as it was "nearly impossible" to crack, according to Red. However, the group found an exploit to decrypt the game's code, allowing them to restore it and begin working on the servers. Most of the progress was made in the last two months, with the team overcoming the anti-tamper software hurdle.
Real, a newcomer to reverse engineering, recreated the backend API, describing the process as "building something without instructions." It's a challenging task, but one that he approached with enthusiasm and a desire to see Concord revived.
The group's efforts have gained traction, with a video of the playtest posted on the Concord Reddit page and a growing Discord channel for future private playtests. Even former Firewalk Studios employees have joined the server, eager to see their beloved game come back to life.
Red, a passionate advocate for game preservation and the Stop Killing Games movement, plans to add Concord to a platform he created called Ancify. This platform aims to host dead games, providing infrastructure for authentication, matchmaking, and server deployment, thus reducing duplicate work for each project. Other games like Radical Heights, Hyenas, and LawBreakers are already on Ancify, showcasing the potential for game preservation.
Real emphasized the importance of curiosity and motivation in reverse engineering: "I'm very interested in 'lost media' and similar concepts, so I was initially drawn to Concord because of the large online impact it made and its incredibly short lifespan. As I worked on the project, I began to appreciate the design choices I initially questioned, and that motivated me to keep going. I want others to see what I saw."
And for those questioning the choice to revive Concord, Red had a message: "I hope people can be respectful. Regardless of personal preferences, there will always be people who love a specific game. You never know, the game you cherish might be the next one to face extinction."
This story highlights the dedication and passion of gamers and developers who refuse to let their favorite games fade into obscurity. It's a fascinating glimpse into the world of game preservation and the lengths people will go to keep gaming history alive.
