Summary
- The First Descendant has lost 95.5 percent of its players since launch.
- Right now, it’s even being outperformed by eFootball.
- With Mixed reviews on Steam and constant pushback from the community, those figures look unlikely to improve anytime soon.
The First Descendant was a huge success when it launched last year, hitting an all-time peak of 264,000 players almost immediately.
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But in just six months, its peak player count on Steam has dropped by 95.5 percent, only reaching highs of around 12,000. To make matters worse, its overall review score has dropped to ‘Mixed’, with players lamenting the repetitive missions, “shallow” cosmetics, expensive microtransactions, and “bland” gameplay.
For comparison, Helldivers 2 is still hitting peaks of around 77,000 players, while Deadlock — which has a much lower all-time peak, and which is still invite only — is hitting peaks of 18,000. The First Descendant, however, is ranked 138th on Steam, which means that it’s being beaten out by New World, Battlefield 5, the original Counter-Strike, and even eFootball.
The First Descendant Has Been Controversial Since Day One
While The First Descendant was a hit in terms of its player count at launch, it also came under fire due to its “predatory” monetisation, as well as unfair drop rates and the unending Bunny meta. Critics weren’t too fond of the game either, as it scored just 57 on Metacritic, which producer Lee Beom-jun said was “much lower than expected”.
Nonetheless, director Joo Min-seok admitted that “there [were] many things lacking” and that it was “the first time [he’s] had this much to worry about”. Such problems included the single-use paints, “inflated” seasonal challenges, and lackluster new Descendants. Many in the community proclaimed to be “done” with the game given all of their gripes, and going by the peak player count, they weren’t bluffing.
The First Descendant has seen a huge drop in players since the month it launched. In August alone, its peak dipped by 56.3 percent, and in September, that decline continued by 49.5 percent, and again by 40 percent and 49.1 percent leading into the holidays. It did see a boost in December, but going into 2025, it’s back into decline. With the poor reception and frustration among the community, that looks unlikely to change anytime soon.
The First Descendant is a next-generation third-person co-op action RPG looter shooter featuring high-quality graphics created in Unreal Engine 5.
Players become a Descendant whose mission is to combat alien invaders – The Vulgus who crossed dimensions over 100 years ago and brought with them the devastating Colossi and destruction – for the survival of humanity and to protect Albion and the continent of Ingris. Players will encounter spectacular stories of forces fighting over the Iron Heart as they grow stronger through various missions and raids.
Encounter features that make The First Descendant’s gameplay unique: a variety of characters with unique concepts and combat styles, massive boss battles with up to four player co-op, free movement and coordinated action with grappling hooks, a variety of weapons and compelling customization options.