It’s both sad and funny that a steep auction has now popped up around Sony’s failed live service game.

Concord was a notorious flop. Sony spent millions of dollars creating it, including the acquisition of developer Firewalk Studios in 2023. The game was shut down just two weeks after its release. Initially, Sony suggested this was only temporary, but just a few months later, they shut it down permanently, and Firewalk closed. By any standards, this was a disaster. Now, a seemingly unique piece of Concord memorabilia is being auctioned off on Goodwill’s online auction site and will be for a few more days. It has already fetched over $3,000, and this amount is sure to increase!

The plaque was apparently awarded to Chelsea Grace, who is responsible for Concord’s outsourcing and co-development. However, it’s unclear how the plaque ended up at Goodwill. Was it donated to raise money? Or was it tossed in the trash to forget the game existed, only to be fished out of the dumpster by someone else? Goodwill says they received the plaque as a donation. There have been 42 bids so far, and the current bid is $3,002. However, there are still more than four days left to bid!

Like most auction sites, Goodwill’s terms of service require the winning bidder to honor their bid. However, there’s nothing to stop them from simply saying no and disappearing into the digital ether. Given the pre-existing negativity surrounding Concord, we would not be shocked if the winner backed out of the purchase. The provenance of the plaque is unknown, which puts it at some risk, but assuming all goes well, it’s a unique piece of gaming history. The spectacular collapse of Concord makes it all the more interesting and collectible.

In any case, the fan bidding is unstoppable, and some people have the money to acquire something unique and lasting.

Source: PCGamer, Goodwill