Summary
At the start of July, two huge free-to-play titles launched, but their fortunes couldn’t have been much different.
The First Descendantquickly rocketed to highs of almost 265,000 concurrent players; however, the game was mired in controversy. Player complaints arose about theoveruse of a single character,seemingly unfair drop rates, and"predatory" monetization practices, among other things.
Once Human, on the other hand, peaked at an impressive 227,000 players but didn’t face half as many complaints. It was initially review-bombed for having"excessive" terms of service, but the sentiment changed, and the game was evenpraised for its limited microtransactions.
Now, a few weeks after launch, The First Descendant seems to be hemorrhaging players, with its peak concurrent player count sitting almost 70% down in the past week compared to the week it launched.
The First Descendant Loses 68 Percent Of Its Players
As part of our analysis, we looked atSteam Charts, comparing the peak concurrent players for The First Descendant across its launch week and the same for the past seven days.
During week one, the game had an average peak of 224,000 players, compared to last week, peaking at an average of 73,000. This represents a drop of 67.5 percent.
Comparatively, during its first week, Once Human’s average peak was 182,000 players. In the last seven days, it’s maintained an average peak of roughly 150,000, losing only around 18 Percent of its player base.
180,000
79,000
131,000
152,000
239,000
149,000
144,000
217,000
83,000
162,000
248,000
82,000
191,000
157,000
265,000
68,000
231,000
163,000
215,000
67,000
202,000
145,000
203,000
51,000
207,000
138,000
224,000
73,000
182,000
150,000
Why Such A Drop-Off?
Sentiment around The First Descendant has been mixed, at best. A quick look at the game’sSubreddit, and you’ll see dozens of threads berating different elements of the game. Far more than any that are heaping praise onNexon’stitle.
If the threads are to be believed, the game still seems to have an issue with its drop rates, despite Nexondenying they’re wrong, andsingle-use paints remain an issue.
The game’s grind, including its “inflated seasonal challenges,” is also regularly disparaged, with Nexon, at one point, seemingly buffing farming routes only to retcon themdue to a mistranslation error.The latest character, who released at the start of August, was also called"garbage".
When all is said and done, though, a peak of 72,000 is not half bad. Nexon just has a long way to go to ensure players keep coming back.
The First Descendant
WHERE TO PLAY
The First Descendant is a next-generation third-person co-op action RPG looter shooter featuring high-quality graphics created in Unreal Engine 5.Players become a Descendant whose mission is to combat alien invaders – The Vulgus who crossed dimensions over 100 years ago and brought with them the devastating Colossi and destruction – for the survival of humanity and to protect Albion and the continent of Ingris. Players will encounter spectacular stories of forces fighting over the Iron Heart as they grow stronger through various missions and raids.Encounter features that make The First Descendant’s gameplay unique: a variety of characters with unique concepts and combat styles, massive boss battles with up to four player co-op, free movement and coordinated action with grappling hooks, a variety of weapons and compelling customization options.
