Hunt: Showdown was released in 2018 but has since been regarded as a hidden gem among shooter fans. Now the game can excite more people than ever before. We at MeinMMO take a look at why this is.
How many players does Hunt have? More than ever before, that much is certain. On the evening of July 27, even 38,272 players played the horror shooter on Steam simultaneously. That’s even 4,000 more than the previous record in August 2021 (via steamcharts.com).
As a hidden gem, the shooter has not been for a long time now. More than twice as many simultaneous fans as New World are sneaking through the Bayou of Louisiana in Hunt. But where does the new record come from so suddenly?
The longest event so far: Part of the reason is the current Serpent Moon event. It started on July 27 and will remain in the game for 61 days. Unlike previous events, it doesn’t bring significant gameplay innovations.
Included are the following things:
- A Battle Pass that has received mixed reviews
- A new time of day in the Bayou, the Serpent Moon
- More story
- 2 new variants of the most popular weapons in the game
- Some new skins
- A new legendary hunter that evolves the longer you play
- A new leaderboard
- Countless snakes
If you now think that doesn’t sound like much content for a 61-day event, you are not alone. While previous events scored with completely new weapons, a new boss, or a new map, the Serpent Moon somehow lacks the big highlight.
Here you can see the trailer for the event:
The player peak is not just about the event
Where are the players coming from? It would be too easy to say that the new event suddenly brings so many players aboard, or into the Bayou. Because if we look at the overall player numbers over the last months, the event doesn’t actually bring as much as it seems.
The real turning point for Hunt: Showdown happened back in March 2021 with the “As the crow Flies” event. At that time, Scrapbeak was introduced as the new fourth boss, and some theme-appropriate skins found their way into Hunt.
Sustained growth: While player numbers in the months from December 2020 to February 2021 reached a maximum of 15,500, Scrapbeak nearly doubled the player count to 32,288. And this peak should not diminish.
With few exceptions, Hunt usually remained around 30,000 players. The rise to 38,272 due to the current Serpent Moon is therefore not as relevant as it initially seems. Exceptions to this are the months of May and June 2022 when Hunt deviated significantly and declined sharply, which is why the event is now bringing back players who stayed away from the Bayou in the last two months.
Hunt: Showdown impresses, permanently
Those who play, stay: When further analyzing the player numbers, it quickly becomes clear that Hunt: Showdown has slowly but steadily grown since its release. The community is strongly attached to their game, which is immediately evident in comments on Reddit or Discord.
More often than not, you hear comments like “I’m buying the DLC now just to support the developers”. New events, Twitch streamers, and advertising are important to get new people to dive into the shooter.
But the numbers clearly show that those who are there usually stay. Although the core community of the game always has something to complain about, they remain loyal to their game and help Hunt achieve steady growth over the years that shows no signs of stopping.
The highlight, so far: Much more, Hunt: Showdown is currently at its peak. Even large and international streamers have recently taken notice of the shooter and are wading through the swamps of Hunt. What, according to GameStar colleague Dimitry Halley, is largely responsible for Hunt’s current success.
Although the game is already a solid 4 years old, Hunt will continue to grow for the time being. This is also due in no small part to the currently popular extraction shooter genre, to which Hunt: Showdown belongs.
It is therefore also likely that we have not yet seen the last player peak with Serpent Moon in Hunt: Showdown.
The next big update should, according to numbering, at least be “Update 2.0”. Perhaps the long-desired crocodile boss, which players have wanted for a long time, is hiding behind it.
Update 1.9, however, was already the highlight for our author Mark Sellner, as he says: In my favorite shooter on Steam, enemies will no longer kill me after I’ve already won
