Marvel Rivals Beta Surges in Popularity

Marvel Rivals has outperformed Sony and Firewalk Studios’ Concord in terms of player count, and it’s not even close.
Marvel Rivals Dwarfs Concord’s Beta Player CountMarvel Rivals’ 50,000 players to Concord’s 2,000

As of July 25, Marvel Rivals has reached a peak of 52,671 concurrent players on Steam.

It should be noted that Steam player count doesn't include PS players, which is where probably not an insignificant portion of players reside. Nevertheless, the stark contrast between the two game’s beta performance has led to growing concerns about its fate, especially with Concord’s official release date looming on August 23.

Marvel Rivals Thrives, yet Concord Struggles to Find Footing

Even after Concord’s closed and open beta phases, the Sony-published game continues to struggle, ranking far below numerous indie titles that have yet to announce release dates on Steam's most-wishlisted chart. Wishlists serve as indicators of a game's demand, and Concord's placement deep within the rankings reflects the underwhelming reception of its beta tests. In contrast, Marvel Rivals sits comfortably at top 14 with the likes of Dune: Awakening and Sid Meier's Civilization VII.

Concord’s case isn’t helped by the fact that players had to pre-order the game for $40 to participate in its Early Access beta. PS Plus members could try the game out for free, but that requires a relatively expensive subscription.

The game’s open beta went live a week after. Despite it being available to all players, however, it was only able to increase its peak player count by a thousand.

In comparison, Marvel Rivals is free-to-play from the start. The closed beta requires a sign-up, but access is generally granted to players once they press "Request Access" under "Join Marvel Rivals Playtest" on the game’s Steam page.

The live-service hero shooter genre is congested as is, and locking Concord behind a steep price can potentially make players look for alternatives.

The game’s "Overwatch meets Guardians of the Galaxy" aesthetic was what people first noticed when Sony unveiled its Cinematic trailer. Unfortunately, many also noted that it lacks the charm of the two franchises.

Despite this, the success of live-service shooters like Apex Legends and Valorant demonstrates that a familiar brand isn’t always essential for building a large player base. Moreover, as Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League shows with its peak of 13,459 players, a strong IP alone is no guarantee of success.

While comparing Concord to Marvel Rivals might seem unfair due to the latter being a more well-known IP, both being hero shooters exemplifies the market Concord is up against.