As we communicate, Nexon’s The First Descendant is setting new playercount data each ten minutes or so on Steam, its first weekend after its launch and free from horrible server points that consumed the previous few days.
It’s doing extraordinarily properly. Proper now it’s hitting 243,000 concurrent gamers, and dispelling the notion that there’s PvE reside service looter fatigue. Although…with a catch.
Individuals might say they hate it, however there may be clearly one thing engaging a couple of free, reside, loot-based sport that grabs huge numbers, and I feel all now we have to do is examine it to rivals to point out why some studios are nonetheless taking place this street even if everyone seems to be allegedly sick of the idea.
Actually, it appears extra prefer it relies on sport format, not high quality. Right here’s what I imply:
- Misplaced Ark – 1.3 million peak, ongoing reside sport, free-to-play
- Future 2 – 316,000 peak, ongoing reside sport, free-to-play base with paid expansions and seasons
- The First Descendant – 243,000 peak, ongoing reside sport, free-to-play
- Warframe – 189,800 peak, ongoing reside sport, free-to-play
- Outriders – 125,100 peak, not reside, paid
- The Division – 114,200 peak, reside, paid
- Remnant 2 – 110,800 peak, not reside, paid
- Marvel’s Avengers – 31,000 peak, reside, paid
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – 13,400 peak, reside, paid
- Anthem – Unknown concurrent peak, reside, paid
This isn’t every thing, however you get the thought, and it’s extra than simply “paid video games are performed lower than free video games.” A number of the worst failures in current AAA historical past are video games that attempted to be each reside service video games, but in addition huge blockbusters costing $60-70. One thing like Outriders discovered sturdy preliminary success, however that concept light in time and the destiny of the IP is unclear. Anthem, Avengers and Suicide Squad are among the largest failures within the final two console generations.
Future 2 is one thing of an exception because it didn’t launch free-to-play. But it surely was the mannequin many of those video games ended up making an attempt to observe. The sport most just like The First Descendant is Warframe, a sport it clearly tried to emulate in each means. In all probability the most important “balanced” success is The Division, which was by no means f2p and did strong numbers as a reside sport. But it surely additionally bought in fairly early. It additionally rely upon finances, after all. Remnant 2 was not a sprawling AAA manufacturing, however put up good numbers and ought to be thought of a hit.
However The First Descendant is about to return alongside and doubtless prime 300,000 gamers quickly. Possibly even beat Future 2’s all-time excessive right here. And it’s…simply okay? It’s stuffed with microtransactions and fairly boring gameplay loops and relatively bland characters. However with midway first rate capturing, buildcrafting and being free it’s…surging. It jogs my memory of Misplaced Ark performing equally, which you guessed it, is from a Korean studio.
The mannequin, whether or not you prefer it not, has been proven to work. And among the largest business failures are those that attempted to have all of it, an costly base sport additionally with expensive microtransactions and battle passes. There are exceptions to the rule, however that is why it’s not an enormous shock that The First Descendant is doing properly regardless of not being…actually that good. However I’m persevering with to present it an opportunity.
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Decide up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller collection and The Earthborn Trilogy.