The new MMORPG MIR4 (PC, iOS, Android) is now the second most popular MMO on Steam. It has overtaken renowned games like ARK: Survival Evolved, Black Desert, and The Elder Scrolls Online in terms of current player numbers. However, the Steam reviews remain mixed. The secret to success: Players can earn the cryptocurrency DRACO in MIR4. However, its value is falling.
How many players does MIR4 have?
- Currently, MIR4 has about 34,000 concurrent players on Steam. This makes it number 2 among “MMO games.” Recently, it has surpassed online games like the established ARK: Survival Evolved and the new Bless Unleashed.
- The amazing thing about MIR4 is that player numbers are still growing. Since its release on Steam on August 25, the curve of players has been rising (via steamcharts).
- However, the key to success in MIR4 is not complex gameplay, but the ability to farm a cryptocurrency in-game and earn real money.
Mining ore for 14 cents hourly wage
What is this cryptocurrency about? In MIR4, players can start mining ore from level 40. This ore can be melted down to the cryptocurrency “DRACO,” which can be sold for real money.
However, the price of DRACO has collapsed from about $3 to 80 cents, as apparently many are farming, but relatively few are buying the coin, although MIR4 is considered “heavily pay2win,” meaning there are some opportunities to use the coin in-game.
Since it takes about 5 hours to farm one DRACO in MIR4, the “hourly wage” has plummeted to $0.16, equivalent to €0.14. It seems that the “hourly wage” is decreasing at the same rate as the number of players in MIR4.
However, MIR4 can be played in “Autoplay.” This alone shows that MIR4 has its roots in Asian mobile gaming.
52% positive reviews on Steam – but sarcastic tone
This is what the reviews say: Not only have the player numbers of MIR4 risen, but the reviews have also improved: They have increased by about 16 percentage points on Steam.
When we looked at MIR4 at MeinMMO on August 31, the reviews were still at a miserable 36%. Now they have risen to 52% positive reviews.
However, even many positive reviews point out that they play the game mainly because of the cryptocurrency. Positive reviews mention things like:
- “Mindless game. Play it when you don’t know what to do with your life.”
- “The only reason anyone plays MIR4 is crypto/blockchain. But otherwise, it’s a typical auto-RPG game where you just click AFK and nothing special.”
For those wondering who even plays such games: In some countries, “farming” real currency in MMORPGs is a way to support one’s family:
Man in Venezuela feeds his family by playing a very old MMORPG
