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Steam average player count at lowest point in years

I_CAME
I_CAME Member Posts: 1,295

The last time the player count was lower was in February of 2020. Obviously this doesn't mean the game is dead but it likely indicates a trend in the wrong direction. One year ago the game had an average of 38k players in September. This year the game had an average of 30k players in September. A MASSIVE decrease. Why do you think the game is losing so many players and what could be done to get people playing more? In my experience survivor ragequitting is at an all time high. Killers don't seem happy with the game either if this forum is any indication.

Comments

  • Shroompy
    Shroompy Member Posts: 6,669

    Last year in September we got one of the most iconic antogonists in gaming who turned out to be one of the best designed killers this games ever had

    This year we got one of the legends in horror, but their gameplay was definitely less than desirable

  • BarnesFlam
    BarnesFlam Member Posts: 654

    Video games are too good, what can you do

  • tjt85
    tjt85 Member Posts: 950

    I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of players are staying away before the Halloween event. I know I'm currently playing a lot less than usual because I need to be ready to grind through the event tome on both Switch and PC (can we have cross progression soon, please?)

    And there's not so much to play for now that the rift is finished with.

  • Phantom_
    Phantom_ Member Posts: 1,348

    Cyberpunk '77: Phantom Liberty just got released with Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba, I mean, what more do you need really?

    Resident Evil also released Seperate Ways.

    Peope are back to school/uni/work and might not play. DBD will be fine, it always is.

  • Marc_go_solo
    Marc_go_solo Member Posts: 5,314

    It's certainly a hit, which may be down to a few factors. A big factor is the volume of new, enticing games that have dropped onto the Steam catalogue. Others could be a couple of announcements from DBD creators who want to move away, frustrations with BHVR, the community poisoning itself and other issues.

    What may be interesting is this Halloween event. The clips of what appears to be a completely new map may mean a new game mode is being tested as part of the event, which may bring a fair few back, even if it's just out of curiosity.

    The event may change the fall, but for now it's certainly a drop that, even if just for Steam charts, needs some attention.

  • Xyvielia
    Xyvielia Member Posts: 2,418

    I’m rockin’ MK1 n Lies of P on this pleasant, cozy, peaceful, chillaxation from DBD😌

    These 2 recently released titles could be averting ppls attention

  • Mr_K
    Mr_K Member Posts: 9,222

    So it's the same level as three years ago? Clearly something happen to grow that number over these three years for you to complain now. Maybe the game is stable around 30k players? Maybe the numbers don't reflect the real playerbase. It is on other platforms. I take it you are looking at all of those too?

  • I_CAME
    I_CAME Member Posts: 1,295

    It does indicate a trend in the wrong direction. If you want to use another metric then you could use twitch viewership which has declined from 25k average viewers in 2022 to 18k in 2023. It's clearly not just Steam where this decline in interest is happening. I don't think pointing this out rises to the level of complaining. I am concerned about the health of the game more than anything else. Some people will frequently point out that the game is old as a reason. Personally I find this to be a BS excuse since plenty of older games are still showing growth. Losing this much of your player base likely means something about the current direction of the game isn't connecting with a lot of players.

  • Nazzzak
    Nazzzak Member Posts: 5,636

    The player count has always gone up and down. During the pandemic I imagine was probably the busiest period for alot of games, and people simply don't have that sort of time on their hands anymore. Having said that, I personally am finding it a struggle these days to retain interest. For the first time since I started playing 3 years ago, I'm having numerous consecutive games where team mates just give up to go next. I used to see it every now and then but it happened in 7 games out of 12 I played yesterday, 4 of them in a row. I think that is just one symptom of a larger problem. People getting to that level of frustration isn't a good thing. I can imagine they're not having good games in general if they're just walking up to the killer and asking them to down them.

  • KolbyKolbyKolby
    KolbyKolbyKolby Member Posts: 623

    While I still play DBD, Lies Of P might be my game of the year, it is SUCH an incredible game and I have had a difficult time putting it down!

  • XshyguyX
    XshyguyX Applicant Posts: 107

    I'm surprised alien didn't bring in alot more players

  • Ariel_Starshine
    Ariel_Starshine Member Posts: 937

    Yep, casuals make up the majority for nearly every game, and when they cater to these 1% hardcore people who eat, sleep and breathe the game, the rest will move on.

    Idk how true that is for this game, I stay far, far away from all that hardcore junk (the videos, weird streaming stuff, etc) . I play casually and don't care anymore.

  • Xyvielia
    Xyvielia Member Posts: 2,418

    For sure, yep, same!

    Love soulslike games, and Lies of P is phenom! Vibes like Bloodborne slightly, but the gameplay is a notch up imo, and the atmosphere is fantastic; Such beautiful surroundings n detail.

    Really enjoy taking my time with these kind of games (almost slowplaying them😄).

    American McGees Alice is one of my fav games ever, Alice Madness Returns, as well. EA officially completely screwed American McGee and all us fans over, last year, and we’ll never have a 3rd game.😔

    However, with LoP as popular as it is rn, if Neowiz & Round8 opt to create a similarly themed Alice in Wonderland game in the dark vein of LoP and AM’s Alice (what he designed in concept art and intended for the 3rd game would’ve utilized Unreal5) omggg, can’t even put into words how insanely ultra elated I’ll be😍🤞🏽

    Happy you’re as immersed in Lies of P as you are.

    Always a sweet vibe when DBD mains are vocal here on the forums about what other games they’re into.

  • Kius
    Kius Member Posts: 140

    bhvr takes too long to fix the present because they are too busy working on the future.. so we dont have often perk shake ups or interesting things more often, sure the xp and more bp events often would totally help but in the grand picture the game gets stale quick if there isnt a really big shake up in terms of meta.

  • Mr_K
    Mr_K Member Posts: 9,222

    Consider the game is in constant flux and when times are good when many are playing, we don't have people saying the game is going strong bhvr must be doing something right. It's only when we have drop off is when doom is on the horizon. Even at its peak the forums are full of complaints and those saying they quit forever.

  • TheSubstitute
    TheSubstitute Member Posts: 2,495

    You saw a happy person even momentarily on a video game forum? Is that happy person in the room with you right now?

  • kizu04
    kizu04 Member Posts: 61
    edited October 2023

    Because even if you're playing Survivor, you won't have the same thrilling tension as before, and the killer gets bored with most of the nerf and misplaced adjustments with each update.

  • tyantlmumagjiaonuha
    tyantlmumagjiaonuha Member Posts: 573

    They weakened Alien, which was not considered a problem, right after its release, while neglecting MFT, which was much talked about, for about 6 months. I think this kind of attitude is discouraging both Killer Survivor and Killer Survivor players from taking this game seriously.


    I will play TCM for a while. Even though the balancing is still rough, I feel from the updates up to this point that they want to provide a comfortable gameplay experience for both camps.

  • NODD3RS
    NODD3RS Member Posts: 152
    edited October 2023

    game has been stale and boring for the past 7 years. There is no reason to sacrifice your fun and happiness for something that offers no real reward. The game is too intense for casual players and too easy for the experienced. Many new games have come out too. DBD is fun when I play 1-2 hours a couple days a week. Long sessions are just not doable anymore.

  • Brokenbones
    Brokenbones Member Posts: 5,169

    I stopped playing last month after finishing the rift

    Struggling to get motivation to start playing again, the newest amount of stagnation has hit harder. The increase of blatantly greedy practices with DLC pricing, the refusal to address stuff like MFT, Blight, Buckle up and so on has increased frustration.

    Most DBD content is stale to watch as well, so the game isn't even entertaining for me to watch anymore. Especially when the content is 50% complaining.

  • Anti051
    Anti051 Member Posts: 656

    Doesn't matter what character they add if the gameplay loop sucks.

  • bornagain234
    bornagain234 Unconfirmed, Member Posts: 336
    edited October 2023

    What bhvr seem to not realise is no amount of killers / perks will keep the game fresh. The game needs new modes / objectives.

    2v8 is my most wanted one.


    Killer is miserable, so is solo / duos

  • OwlWithMustache
    OwlWithMustache Member Posts: 57

    People should be banned for talking about steam charts