New Looter Shooter 'The First Descendant' Draws 170,000 Players on Launch Day

Don't underestimate the appeal of free items. If you're unsure about Destiny 2, skeptical of The Division, and cautious about Warframe, a new looter shooter from South Korean company Nexon might finally draw you in—it seems to be doing just that for many others. Within just two hours of launching, The First Descendant has attracted over 170,000 concurrent players and is quickly rising on the Steam popularity charts. While the reviews are mixed, the co-op third-person squad game is still gaining traction, surpassing Team Fortress 2, GTA 5, and the popular Palworld in terms of current players.

The game emphasizes teamwork and offers more straightforward, instant action compared to some of its competitors. It's a mix of third-person shooter, RPG, and high sci-fi. The First Descendant launched on Steam today, Tuesday, July 2, at 12am PDT / 7am UTC. According to SteamDB, by 2am PDT / 9am UTC, it had already attracted over 170,000 concurrent players, making it the sixth most-played game on Steam globally.

The Steam reviews for The First Descendant are mixed. Out of 1,841 player reviews so far, only 53% are positive, leading to an official "mixed" rating on Valve’s platform. Some players have reported performance issues and crashes, which are common problems for a new game with a large number of initial players.

Some players report that when they buy Caliber, the in-game currency for The First Descendant, the money is taken from their accounts, but the Caliber isn't added to their game. Players are advised to wait a bit longer. Due to the high number of people playing and using the in-game store, purchases are delayed, but the Caliber should eventually show up in their accounts.

SOURCE: PC Games N