Once Human's Peak Surges to 230K Players

NetEase's post-apocalyptic survival game, Once Human, achieved a remarkable 230,000 peak concurrent players on Steam upon its PC debut, securing seventh place in top sellers and fifth in most-played games. This initial success, however, hints at a potential player decline shortly after launch.

Scheduled for mobile release in September, Once Human has already announced exciting updates. These include a PvP mode pitting the Mayflies and Rosetta factions against each other, and a challenging PvE expansion in a new northern mountain region with novel enemies. Set in a world ravaged by a catastrophic event leading to supernatural occurrences, Once Human is a highly anticipated title from NetEase.

Interestingly, despite apparent launch readiness, NetEase has postponed the mobile launch, still targeting September. Despite this delay, the game maintains its impressive ranking as a top seller and most-played game.

A Cause for Concern? The use of "peak" player count (230,000) suggests the average player count might be significantly lower. This early drop-off, especially considering the game's initial Steam wishlist count of under 300,000, could be a warning sign for NetEase.

While NetEase is a mobile gaming giant, its strategic shift towards PC gaming is ambitious. Once Human, despite impressive visuals and gameplay, might prove challenging in rapidly shifting its core audience.

The mobile release of Once Human remains highly anticipated, regardless of the delay. In the meantime, check out our curated list of the best mobile games of 2024 (so far) and our list of the year's most anticipated mobile games to discover other exciting titles!