The First Descendant, a third-person co-op action RPG, launched last year with an impressive peak of 264,000 players on Steam. However, over six months, the game’s peak player count has plummeted by 95.5%, now reaching only about 12,000 players. This decline is notable, especially when compared to other games like Helldivers 2, which maintains peaks around 77,000 players, and Deadlock, achieving peaks of 18,000 players despite being invite-only. Currently, The First Descendant ranks 138th on Steam, trailing behind titles such as New World, Battlefield 5, the original Counter-Strike, and even eFootball.

The game’s reception has been mixed. On Steam, it holds a ‘Mixed’ review score, with players criticizing repetitive missions, shallow cosmetics, expensive microtransactions, and bland gameplay. Critics have also been lukewarm, with the game scoring just 57 on Metacritic. Producer Lee Beom-jun acknowledged this score was ‘much lower than expected,’ while director Joo Min-seok admitted there were ‘many things lacking’ and expressed significant concern over the game’s issues.

Community feedback has highlighted several problems, including single-use paints, inflated seasonal challenges, and lackluster new Descendants. Many players have expressed frustration, with some stating they are ‘done’ with the game. This sentiment is reflected in the declining player numbers.

I didn’t mention First Descendant here because I genuinely sort of forgot about it

but yeah in six months for a live game with ongoing seasons, it’s down 95.5% from peak and not much moves the needle https://t.co/r7YoywLHS5 pic.twitter.com/2N4IqXJdUE

— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) January 12, 2025

The drop in player count has been steady since launch. In August, the peak dipped by 56.3%, followed by declines of 49.5% in September, 40% in October, and 49.1% in November. Although there was a slight boost in December, the numbers have continued to decline into 2025. Given the poor reception and ongoing community frustration, it seems unlikely that this trend will reverse soon.

In summary, The First Descendant’s initial success has been overshadowed by a significant decline in player engagement and mixed reviews. The developers have acknowledged the game’s shortcomings, but it remains to be seen if they can address these issues and rekindle interest among players.