Steam: Innovative game flops at release total – A man saves it: 840% more players, 98% positive reviews

The strategy game Moonbreaker was showcased at Gamescom 2022 and was released on Steam in September 2022. At the release as an early access title, it could only attract a few players, but in summer 2023, it is thriving. The recent reviews stand at 98% positive, it costs €22.50 in a sale, and players are slowly discovering it. The revival was sparked by a YouTuber’s video on June 16.

What was the deal with Moonbreaker?

• Moonbreaker was shown at the opening of gamescom 2022. It received applause in the hall, but we predicted back then from MeinMMO: “The game looks as good as dead,” because Moonbreaker is a “turn-based tabletop tactics game” and those are considered, at least since Atlas Reactor, to be poison for sales. Atlas Reactor even died 3 times.
• The special feature of Moonbreaker is that you can paint the game figures yourself.
• There was really nothing against Moonbreaker itself. It is an exciting project, backed by the team that previously made Subnautica, and Brandon Sanderson, a popular US author.

Moonbreaker flops at release, but the developers immediately get to work

So how was it at release? We were right with our prophecy: Although the game was released on Steam, it hardly interested anyone. A hype was missing:

• Moonbreaker launched in October 2022 with an average of 115 players
• In February 2023, the game even dropped to 9 players online daily
• At this level, it crawled along until May 2023

So a total flop. A shame, really, for such an ambitious game.

The studio reacted quickly back then: They disabled the in-game shop after a month and wanted to rework the game with the community.

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YouTuber discovers the revamped game on Steam

What has changed? The game experienced a resurgence: A YouTuber, Bricky, with 930,000 subs, uploaded a video on June 16. The video is titled: “Moonbreaker is SO GOOD! I am losing my mind …”

The video has received over 440,000 views and breathed new life into Moonbreaker:

• Since June 16, player numbers have increased by 840%.
• Where there were previously 10 players on average, in June there were suddenly 80, and now it is back to an average of 100.
• The YouTuber seems to be right with his tip, because those who try Moonbreaker are clearly enthusiastic: The reviews on Steam show 98% positive reviews, fantastic. Many testers point out that they bought Moonbreaker after Bricky’s recommendation.

Moonbreaker could become an example of a game where the developers, by making the right decisions after release, turned a certain flop into a success.

But they will still have a long way to go.

Currently, Moonbreaker is available in the Steam sale for €22.49. It is reduced by 25%. Officially, the game is still in “Early Access”:

New, innovative game gets applause at gamescom, 81% on Steam – But hardly anyone plays it