How is The First Decendant 2025 doing? The loot shooter had such a strong impact on Steam in the summer

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On June 30, 2024, The First Descendant was released on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X. The loot shooter seemed surprisingly stable and promised a long-term presence. It achieved positive ratings and good player numbers on Steam. After the loot shooter was punished, many discovered that it had more to offer than expected. Nexon’s free SF shooter was able to retain many games even in the month after its release. How is he doing in 2025?

That was what was special about The First Descendant:

  • The shooter The First Descendant did not have a good reputation when it was released. Many had dismissed the game as a “cheap product from Asia”. These games are often considered grindy and too heavily monetized for Western tastes. But through word of mouth, The First Descendant became a surprising summer hit on Steam
  • The number of players developed well and the mood was solid one month after release: As of August 2024, one month after launch, the game had a peak of 115,700 players on Steam.
  • A journalist even corrected his previously harsh judgment about the shooter: He now found the game much better than he thought it was when it was released. Wrote that he was obsessed with finding loot. The First Descendant apparently benefited from the fact that Destiny 2 was on the decline and Anthem and The Division had not had anything going on for a long time.

    • The First Descendant Shows New Updates for Season 1; brings new Ultimate character, new weapons, missions and modes

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    Player numbers then collapse with a little delay

    Did the hype last? No, The First Descendant was no longer able to retain the number of players after a strong August when Season 1 started and a very decent September 2024.

    About halfway through Season 1, The First Descendant seems to have run out of steam. Because Season 2 only started at the beginning of December, but from October onwards the number of players began to plummet.

    By October the average player count had already fallen to 15,880 and the peak was 35,000. The lowest point was reached in November: there are now around 10,000 players who are online on Steam on average.

    The game had 5 bad months losing players, only gaining some players in December 2024, but that wasn’t a lasting success. Season 2 started on December 5th and brought new Descendants to the shooter, but was unable to permanently stop the downward trend.

    19 of the 20 players who played The First Descendant at release will be gone in 2025

    What’s the problem? The problem is further development beyond the initial initial kick. In the endgame the game runs out of motivation and breath.

    It is apparently intended that with a new season a lot of time will be invested in new characters so that they reach the level of the last character. But the question is, why should players always have to endure the lengthy climb? Paul Tassi asks that on Forbes.

    He judges: The First Descendant is not a bad game, but has not figured out how to retain and motivate players in the long term. The player numbers on Steam seem to prove him right.

    The First Descendant has lost 96% of its players since release – only one in twenty who played in July 2024 is still playing in January 2025. The replacement for The First Descendant is currently apparent, the hero shooter Marvel Rivals: Marvel Rivals has over 400,000 players on Steam every day – now explains how it should stay that way

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