In recent years, 6 MMORPGs have been released on Steam that can be considered among the larger and more well-known titles. Reddit user foodeyemade took a closer look at the player numbers of these MMORPGs and created a graphic that provides very interesting insights.
What does the graphic show? The graphic displays six MMORPGs and the development of their player numbers in the first 90 days after release. These games are:
- New World (blue)
- Bless Unleashed (red)
- PSO2: New Genesis (yellow)
- ArcheAge Unchained (green)
- Swords of Legends Online (orange)
- Albion Online – Free2Play (light blue)
At the time with the most concurrent players, the game reaches the mark of 100%. The graph itself then represents the remaining peaks in concurrent players as a percentage.
All MMORPGs suffer heavily in player numbers, especially New World and SOLO
What stands out? All MMORPGs have significantly lost player numbers compared to the release hype. However, three titles managed to stay above the 25% player mark, while three games fell into the ranges of 7 to 14%, including New World.
Of the games shown here, only New World managed to break the 100,000 concurrent players mark and even exceeded it significantly with over 900,000 players at peak. The other games hovered on Steam between 7,212 (ArcheAge Unchained) and 76,273 concurrent players (Bless Unleashed).
It should also be noted that Albion Online, Swords of Legends, PSO2, and ArcheAge Unchained also have their own clients that will further correct the total player numbers upwards.
Interestingly, there is no significant difference in player retention based on whether the games had to be purchased upfront – like New World or ArcheAge Unchained – or whether the games are Free2Play – like Bless Unleashed or Albion Online.
Are declining player numbers a surprise? Not really, as Western MMORPG players have been yearning for the next big hit for many years and are consequently testing many new games. However, new games entering the market now cannot compete with established titles like WoW or FFXIV. They simply offer a greater variety of content.
Furthermore, many players have become more demanding in recent years regarding their wishes and needs:
- Some players mainly play alone and thus seek a solo MMORPG
- Other players want a hardcore PvE game
- Some hope for open PvP
- Others exclude a game just because it comes from Asia or has open PvP.
We recently addressed this issue in a column:
A turnaround is possible, as demonstrated by Albion Online and other MMORPGs
Does a downward trend always lead to the death of the game? No, because in recent years there have been several examples of turnarounds, including Albion Online, which is also in this graphic.
At release time, the MMORPG peaked at 13,312 players – the 100% of the graphic. In March 2021, the latest update brought 12,918 people to log in to Steam in Albion Online. These are almost identical numbers to the release. And even in the last 30 days, the game’s peak reached 9,643 players – a solid 72% of the release time.
However, not only Albion Online has succeeded in such a turnaround. The Elder Scrolls Online was also heavily criticized at first. Only through updates like One Tamriel was the MMORPG able to recover.
Additionally, there is the big comeback of Final Fantasy XIV, which only succeeded through a complete shutdown of the servers. Those interested in the history of FFXIV can find more information here:
No, your games that launched poorly do not need a reboot like Final Fantasy XIV
