On March 27, the MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar (SotA), which is considered an unofficial successor to the Ultima series, was launched. But how did the launch go?
Three weeks have passed since then. While most MMORPGs gain most of their players in exactly that time because MMO fans often want to be there from the beginning to build something in the game world right away, the situation is different for Shroud of the Avatar.
No particularly glorious launch
The launch of Shroud of the Avatar was very unspectacular, almost hidden and embarrassingly shy. This is evidenced by several factors:
- The number of players has increased according to Steamcharts but by no means as much as one would expect from the launch of a new MMO (it should be noted that according to the developers, Steam players make up only about 35 percent of all players)
- The player count could not even surpass the number reached by the MMO in the summer of 2016, when the game world became persistent – according to Steamcharts, there were 603 players online at the same time back then – this number has not been reached again so far
- There is basically no marketing campaign – Aside from a few Facebook ads, it is deathly silent about the game
- The developers are proud that the launch of the game simply felt like another monthly update, whereas the release of a game should be a big and great event
- The existing reviews paint a bad picture of the MMO – the ratings from magazines are rather below average
- The reviews on Steam remain very mixed. On average, only 53 percent of players have rated the MMO positively
- Even longtime fans feel that SotA was released too early
No advertising?
Allegedly, a marketing campaign is supposed to start in the second quarter – which is now – to attract more players to the MMORPG. After the launch, mind you, which is often so important for MMO players to get started. So far, there is no sign of it. And even if a marketing campaign should start now, is there really still interest? In an MMO that received below-average ratings? That has already launched? Whose game world has been persistent for almost two years?
What will happen to Episode 2?
The launch of Shroud of the Avatar was anything but good. And whether the developers can turn things around now remains doubtful. That said, we would also love to be surprised by the opposite. How Episode 2 will proceed is still unclear. A Kickstarter campaign was actually supposed to start for this, but we haven’t heard anything about Episode 2 for a long time. Can a Kickstarter campaign still be successful after these ratings of the game and such a launch? Here, too, one can harbor quiet doubts.
Have you perhaps already played Shroud of the Avatar? What is your opinion on the title and the launch? Let us know in the comments.
