Warframe has been growing on Steam for 6 months and has long since overtaken Destiny 2

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The SF MMO Warframe, known as “Ninjas in Space”, has had a strong phase on Steam since August 2023: the number of players is constantly increasing. As early as October 2023, the ailing Destiny 2 was overtaken.

What is it with Destiny 2 and Warframe? Both games are repeatedly compared to each other and the comparison is repeatedly rejected by players. Both games are SF games with an action focus and MMO elements, but there are differences:

  • Destiny was released in 2014 as a full-price AAA title from a glorious company. It relied on first-person shooter action with a focus on gameplay and elements of games-as-a-service. The gunplay is still unmatched to this day.
  • Warframe was released in 2013 as a free2play title from a company that was hardly worth mentioning at the time and was on the verge of bankruptcy. It relies on third-person action and was a rather “small game” that grew over time and even gained open-world elements.

    • Warframe shows a first trailer for the upcoming update Whispers in the Walls

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    Warframe gains 25,000 average players on Steam in 6 months

    How did Warframe go on Steam? Warframe has been flying high on Steam since August 2023 and has consistently increased the number of players:

  • From an average of 39,713 in August 2023
  • It now stands at 64,601 in the last 30 days

    • This is the highest value since July 2018.

    Destiny 2 loses 97,000 average players on Steam in 10 months

    How’s Destiny 2 doing on Steam? Destiny 2, on the other hand, is rather mediocre:

  • In March 2023, with the release of Lightfall, there was an impressive average of 135,000 players
  • But Lightfall disappointed many and there are currently around 38,000 users on Steam, significantly fewer than Warframe, who have already overtaken Destiny 2 on Steam in October 2023.

    • In November 2023, Destiny 2 was at its lowest player level on Steam of all time – it has currently only recovered a little.

    Service games are in crisis, but Warframe is doing well

    Why is this remarkable? Warframe is one of the few “games as a service” games (something like games with MMo elements) that goes against the current trend in the industry, because service games are generally not doing well at the moment.

    After the great disappointments of hype games like Anthem or the constant flops at Ubisoft, the industry has moved more and more away from the dream that everyone could have successful games-as-a-service titles in their portfolio that regularly and reliably make huge amounts of money .

    There have recently been waves of layoffs at Activision Blizzard, Bungie, Riot Games and Epic Games. Blizzard has even discontinued its new survival game.

    After Baldur’s Gate 3, the trend is more towards single-player games. The makers of Warframe want to develop a new live service game with Soulsframe.

    The dark fantasy experience Soulframe in the trailer

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    Warframe runs well, but it’s not a replacement for Destiny

    Warframe is and has always been an example of a successful service game that has developed well and saved a struggling studio.

    However, it will always be the game that is recommended to disappointed Destiny 2 players as “just play this.” However, like The Division back then, it is only suitable for this purpose to a limited extent. The different perspective makes it a significantly different gaming experience. Getting started is also considered quite difficult.

    But if you would like to play Warframe as an alternative to Destiny 2, you might be inspired by my colleague Christos:

    Why Warframe is the best alternative for anyone who has lost hope in Destiny 2

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