Amazon has removed all survival elements from the MMO New World. But why? And does that automatically mean that survival games are no longer in demand? We took a closer look at the current situation.
What happened with New World? Originally, New World was supposed to be a hardcore PvP MMO. Ideas included full loot and survival elements such as hunger and thirst. The latter were not meant to be lethal, but still had an impact on health points and attack speed.
However, in December 2019, Amazon announced the removal of these elements. Even PvP is no longer necessarily required. This means New World is now taking a completely new direction.
But what does this mean for survival games in general? Is the time for these games over when a giant like Amazon turns away from it? Or is the genre still popular?
ARK, Rust, and DayZ more in demand than ever
How are the classics of the genre doing? When you think of survival games, most people probably think of games like DayZ and Rust. Both are successful titles that have been running strong for over 7 years.
Rust has been regularly sneaking into the top 10 of the Steam charts since 2018. No wonder, as the game receives good updates, including electricity and recently the first DLC with musical instruments.
Rust set a new record in January 2020 with 97,340 concurrent players on Steam. The survival game is currently doing better than ever. Now the game is also set to be released for Xbox One and PS4.
The game DayZ is also currently experiencing a resurgence. Although it couldn’t surpass the peak of 45,398 players at release in December 2013, in February 2020, there were still 40,545 players topping DayZ.
On average, 17,739 players checked into the survival game daily. The best value since March 2014. DayZ had already hit a real low with only 1,692 average players in October 2018. However, it managed to fight its way back up (Steamcharts).
Additionally, DayZ was released for PS4 in May 2019. So, there’s no talk of a crash here either.
ARK breaks all records: Another survival game on Steam is ARK: Survival Evolved, which has just released the first part of the Genesis DLC.
ARK is currently doing exceptionally well. In the last 30 days, more than 153,000 players peaked in the survival game. This significantly surpassed the previous record of 100,723 players in February 2017.
Although there is much criticism of the new DLC, a free weekend and a sale have ensured that more players than ever played ARK in February.
The second tier is doing well too
How are the other games in the genre doing? Besides ARK, Rust, and DayZ, there are several other survival games, including:
- Conan Exiles
- Fallout 76
- The Forest
- Dying Light
- Don’t Starve Together
- Raft
- No Man’s Sky
Besides Fallout 76, for which the Wastelanders update will be released soon, all games can be found on Steam, and thus one can look at the player numbers. None of the games are currently really doing poorly.
- Conan Exiles nearly doubled its current player count in December. A possible reason for this was the release of mounts and mounted combat.
- Dying Light reached an average of 9,939 players per day in February, achieving its best value since February 2015, when the game was released and peaked at 12,871 players.
- Raft achieved an average of 8,008 players in December 2019, marking its second-best month since its release in May 2018.
- No Man’s Sky managed to make a comeback at least in August 2019 with the release of Beyond, regaining some players. Additionally, the latest patch with living ships brought players back. February was the sixth-best month since its release in August 2016.
There’s even new blood
Which new games are coming in 2020? At this point, you can look forward to 7 new survival games this year, including well-known titles such as:
- The Last of Us Part II
- Dying Light 2
- Last Oasis
- Scavengers
Especially the MMO Last Oasis is generating a lot of interest. Although the release from early access has been delayed multiple times, many are still looking forward to the new title.
The concept with the moving sun and the constant fight for resources is well received by many. In addition, some frustrated fans of New World are specifically looking forward to this game, which is why Last Oasis couldn’t resist taking a jab at New World on Twitter.
Survival games are doing very well
What is the conclusion? Even though Amazon has chosen to remove survival elements from New World, games in the genre are currently doing very well. Especially at the turn of the year, many of them regained momentum and attracted new players.
All the titles mentioned have been successfully running for years and continue to evolve. So if you want to start with survival games in 2020, you not only have good prospects but also the dilemma of choice from a variety of titles:
