Support NeoGAF

[dreamstation]

I'm still playing the game every day. I really don't know why it's underperforming because it feels so much better to play than any other shooter out there right now. Anyone that says otherwise is just shit at MP games.

Edit - Also I remember seeing a quote by an Embark employee only a week or so ago on the official Discord saying that the game hasn't dropped below 300k daily players which is not bad at all. There must be a lot more players on console.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Compteting against other squads who have more access to guns and gadgets because they put more time in the game is detrimental to the longevity of the game from attracting new players. The reason why games like Apex Legends are successful is because all players have access to the same weapons when they compete day 1, with the major difference being the character they selecct. The time you put in Apex Legends only affects your comfort with movement mechanics and knowledge of the maps. The Finals suffers because new players have to grind to unlock weapons and gadgets just to compete. This is where the casual and competitive aspect of the Finals clash. Not being able to change your weapon mid match or modify it based on the dyanmics of the game was an oversight.

I mean Call of Duty works the same way and has for years. That isn't the issue here. The issue here is the market space is very oversaturated and Nexon was releasing this game into a space which already has a couple of dominant titles and the supply of gamers who play these kinds of games has a limit

 

[Arachnid]

That's a shame because the game is actually fun.

Right? It is miles beyond most GAAS titles in quality.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Fix the terrible controller controls.
Fix the terrible time to kill.
Fix the terrible roster.

 

[smbu2000]

Guess they won't make it to the finals.

GAAS they won't make it to the finals.

 

[justiceiro]

Didn't they got 20 million players? How do you still manage to fail with those numbers?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Didn't they got 20 million players? How do you still manage to fail with those numbers?

It hasn't failed. People succumb to fake news all the time.

It didn't meet Q1 2024 expectations, after surpassing Q4 2023 expectations.

GAAS is a marathon, not a sprint. Clickbait headlines are effective on many though.

 

[dreamstation]

Fix the terrible controller controls.
Fix the terrible time to kill.

I play on PS5 just fine. Not sure what you're doing but it feels good. 1500+ matches played.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

I play on PS5 just fine. Not sure what you're doing but it feels good. 1500+ matches played.

I played on PS5 and it has issues as stated above.

 

[Chronos24]

I enjoyed the hell out of this game for a while when it launched but yeah it's just hard to maintain that success. We live in a time where things like this age so quickly. if you're not pumping out new stuff (content, maps, etc.) you get forgotten about quickly and people move on to the next greatest thing.

 

[Heaven Angel]

GaaS games are literally all the same, grindfest, PVP, keep coming for that nanoscopic increments, quantity over quality, microtransactions and p2w formula. There are actually thousands of them which is trying to survive each day in the market. Clones of extremely few successful gaas games. It's not hard to understand why.

Good that it's underperforming.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

GaaS games continue to repeat the history of late 2000/early 2010's MMOs.

Every time one of the self-proclaimed "WoW Killer" MMOs launched, they'd see a massive surge of subscribers for a month as WoW players sought out the new hotness. One they realized the games weren't much better, they abandoned them and went right back to the game they had invested huge chunks of time and money into. Then those MMOs were left trying to carve out a path forward. Some went to F2P and were successful, many went to F2P and crashed, and some just folded entirely.

GaaS inevitably follows the same trends since MMOs were GaaS precursors.

So maybe it just isn't a good game, otherwise we wouldn't see Helldivers 2 being such a big hit.

 

[Danjin44]

As usual people will play this for couple of week and go back playing Fortnite or COD.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

Did it even have content updates since the release?

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

This is the most interesting blurb from the report...

"So, with regard to The Finals, we think on the PC and console platform as well as in the Western and European markets, users are holding firm and they are consistently playing the game. However, in the Asian markets, including China and Korea, the drop rate is very high. So, as I mentioned in the last press conference, Embark Studios and NEXON Korea are very closely working together. And through this collaboration or corporation, I think one of the outcomes that we expect is that we will be able to recover the drop rate that we see here in the Asian market in the next few quarters. So, when we released -- launched THE FINALS at the end of last year, there was a lot of users' interest in the title. So I believe that, there is great potential to bring this title back up. And with regard to THE FINALS, NEXON and Embark Studios are making a lot of effort. They are investing a lot of resources. Within this year, we will have more than two large updates. And then in between these updates, of course, we will have a continuous stream of updates. We will do our best to realize rebounds. Next, I would like to touch on Arc Raiders. The Arc Raiders is from Embark Studios. It is a three-person shooter PVPVE Extraction Shooter game. The title has been designed for the global audiences. And it can be actually played on both console and PC platforms. So, with Arc Raiders, I am sure that in the very near future, we will be able to showcase the title to the market. Internally, I think we have very high expectations for Arc Raiders. We are making the necessary preparations together with Embark Studios and NEXON to ensure the success of this title."

 

[Guilty_AI]

GAAS they won't make it to the finals.

It ran out of GAAS

 

[Nydius]

So maybe it just isn't a good game, otherwise we wouldn't see Helldivers 2 being such a big hit.

Let's see where Helldivers 2 is in another 3 months, which would be a proper comparison between HD2 and this article on The Finals.

At only 3 months since release, HD2 is still in the usual honeymoon phase for a GaaS title. Although I don't think Steamcharts is 100% accurate (especially given all the delisting nonsense going on), if you look at HD2 and The Finals, you can see a similar trend of month-to-month player drop off.

The issue is more than just "is your game good". Just like the MMO days of yore, you have to convince people that they need to shift their time from one established game to another. It's very difficult to break through peoples' sunk-cost fallacies.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

At least they saved money by using AI instead of hiring voice actors.

 

[clarky]

essentially everything but helldivers is underperforming now days.

What? Its not even top 5 GAAS. Plenty are doing just fine.

 

[R6Rider]

I play it regularly, but they are WAY too slow at adding more maps, modes, weapons, and gadgets.

Seemingly have no problem dumping a new bundle or two every few days though.

The game also has awful battle passes in which almost half the rewards are stickers, emotes, or sounds that NOBODY uses. The emotes that you can do during a match are extra pointless as there's essentially never a time or place to actually use them.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

So maybe it just isn't a good game, otherwise we wouldn't see Helldivers 2 being such a big hit.

It's not in Its current state.

 

[Unrivaledx88]

Fix the terrible controller controls.
Fix the terrible time to kill.
Fix the terrible roster.

Hope you not aiming for the COD TTK completely different game

 

[R6Rider]

Fix the terrible controller controls.
Fix the terrible time to kill.

I play on console and have no issues with the controls. And this is with jumping between several shooters.

And the TTK is fine for this type of game.

 

[ResilientBanana]

because it fucking sucks.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Hope you not aiming for the COD TTK completely different game

Before mw3... cod had a better ttk yes.
We aren't wearing metal suits but yet it takes more bullets to kill than games where you do like Halo Infinite and Destiny 2.

I play on console and have no issues with the controls. And this is with jumping between several shooters.

And the TTK is fine for this type of game.

The aiming is terrible on PS5's controller.
It's been complained about by many.

It takes to many bullets to kill so I disagree.

 

[Generic]

The cannibalization of GAAS. Only very few GAAS games will survive while most of them are going to be eaten.

Fortnite chuns out new content every week. Other games can't compete.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Not surprised. I played it for a couple of days and dropped it without any desire to go back. It just felt like it didn't have any legs. I thought if more content would change how I felt, and I don't think it would. The aesthetic, the look, the vibe, etc. just didn't click with me. The destruction was the biggest (and only) redeeming quality for me.

 

[Comandr]

I am so disappoint they decided to delay Arc Raiders for this game.
Granted I still think The Finals is a good game, but I think Arc Raiders should have launched first.
I was craving a Helldivers 2 game before knowing what Helldivers 2 was......and Arc Raiders looked like the answer.

Then they changed the whole damn genre of the game.......dont follow trends, youll always show up too late.
Should have just released the co-op PvE game and we would have been sorted.

Seems particularly shortsighted now that helldivers has been a colossal success. Sucks cuz I was really looking forward to Arc Raiders.

 

[dreamstation]

The aiming is terrible on PS5's controller.
It's been complained about by many.

I play with many different people all the time and not once have I heard anyone complain about the controls. Actually we tried to play other games after the finals including the XDefiant beta and we were all like woah this feels horrendous. So yea I'm thinking it's fine.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

I play with many different people all the time and not once have I heard anyone complain about the controls. Actually we tried to play other games after the finals including the XDefiant beta and we were all like woah this feels horrendous. So yea I'm thinking it's fine.

Ok but that doesn't mean there isn't a issue had by many... actually it doesn't matter what you say with you saying other games feel horrendous in comparison as this takes away any credibility from you.

 

[justiceiro]

It hasn't failed. People succumb to fake news all the time.

It didn't meet Q1 2024 expectations, after surpassing Q4 2023 expectations.

GAAS is a marathon, not a sprint. Clickbait headlines are effective on many though.

Marathon didn't launched yet though

 

[dreamstation]

GaaS games are literally all the same, grindfest, PVP, keep coming for that nanoscopic increments, quantity over quality, microtransactions and p2w formula

This just tells me you haven't even played it because none of that is true here. It's all about the gameplay.

Seemingly have no problem dumping a new bundle or two every few days though.

They do a store update once a week. And on the topic of content I think they've done a decent job adding new stuff with the limited time events and with the new season start. I would like to see a couple more maps though.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

This just tells me you haven't even played it because none of that is true here. It's all about the gameplay.

They do a store update once a week. And on the topic of content I think they've done a decent job adding new stuff with the limited time events and with the new season start. I would like to see a couple more maps though.

You and your friends are the authority on the game

 

[dreamstation]

You and your friends are the authority on the game

Considering we have put in a lot more time than some of the bad takes here I'd say we probably do have a better handle on what the game is or isn't.

 

[Heaven Angel]

This just tells me you haven't even played it because none of that is true here. It's all about the gameplay.

I've played as it's free and the gameplay you're saying is just like apex legends. Used generic AI to voice makes it even more cringe. Ubisoft's failed hyperspace gameplay was also similar. All these GaaS are becoming very common each day.

 

[EDMIX]

Nah, but it sooooo easy to beat Battlefield /s

Its wild that this happened and the game is completely free.

This isn't an easy genre and why anyone thought it was as easy based on 1 element is beyond me.


Heaven Angel Pretty much. To make it in that genre, you either have to do some wild never before done shit, or do some traditional thing, very, very well.

 

[dreamstation]

I've played as it's free and the gameplay you're saying is just like apex legends. Used generic AI to voice makes it even more cringe.

There is an audio setting to disable voices if they annoy you that much.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Considering we have put in a lot more time than some of the bad takes here I'd say we probably do have a better handle on what the game is or isn't.

Bad takes cause we don't agree with you.
I got a good take for you... game is on the decline and it will become even more irrelevant as time goes by.

 

[Heaven Angel]

There is an audio setting to disable voices if they annoy you that much.

No voice audio then I'd be bore to death in seconds. Who'd play a game like that in 2024.
Besides I'd be significantly happy to spend my gaming time on a proper SP game, which has real actor/actresses VO.

 

[dreamstation]

I got a good take for you... game is on the decline and it will become even more irrelevant as time goes by.

The vast majority of games don't last forever. I've got a lot of fun out of it already. Not sure why you think it should? And yes, bad takes based on time played. It's like someone saying a movie is shit after walking out after 10 minutes.

 

[Utamaru1706]

Of course the game would failed, since it's infested with cheaters, and Nexon didn't do jack shit to fight them, so people jumped the ship, and plays other shooters instead (my friend plays this game regularly on PC, and he says that he met cheaters in almost every match that he played, which is ridiculous).

I guess Nexon went soft on the cheaters, because they're very likely paid users who spend money on the game significantly, since they're using cosmetics and stuffs on their avatars, instead of the usual random accounts.

 

[Heaven Angel]

It's like someone saying a movie is shit after walking out half way through.

It doesn't make any difference in GaaS titles, it's never ending. You spend time and money on these to go nowhere.

 

[dreamstation]

Of course the game would failed, since it's infested with cheaters, and Nexon didn't do jack shit to fight them, so people jumped the ship, and plays other shooters instead (my friend plays this game regularly on PC, and he says that he met cheaters in almost every match that he played, which is ridiculous).

Not sure what server your friend is on but I've never seen an obvious cheater on the Oceanic server in all my time playing. But apparently I don't know what I'm talking about so!

It doesn't make any difference in GaaS titles, it's never ending. You spend time and money on these to go nowhere.

I spend time playing a game that I enjoy playing with my brother and some friends. And I've only spent $15 on the initial battle pass which gives you more than enough premium currency to buy the next battle pass (which I did, season 2) and I have enough to get the next one. So $15 for 300+ hours of gameplay is pretty cheap mate.

 

[ozz ex machina]

loved the game, played the game every day, went for the platinum but stupid teammates and losing in the last seconds drive me nuts. every game lasts like 10min.
you need 150 wins with every class. f*cking idiot whoever came with that trophy

same with Battlefield 2024 and that Hazard Zone. only trophy I need but didn't touch the game since last year

Is it an idiot who made the trophy? Or an idiot who pursues all trophies? I don't care for trophies but I imagine if I really liked a game it would be nice to have some long term trophies to work towards.

This game was fun but something about it didn't stick with me.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

GaaS with personality succeed, generic ones fail, it's that simple. You can easily see in which ones they put lot of care (Helldivers).

Instead of becoming a Walmart EA, they should learn something from their hit Blue Archive and what it takes to succeed in the GaaS scene today.

 

[amigastar]

GAAS they won't make it to the finals.

FIFY

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

The vast majority of games don't last forever. I've got a lot of fun out of it already. Not sure why you think it should? And yes, bad takes based on time played. It's like someone saying a movie is shit after walking out after 10 minutes.

It's got issues that keep it from being good in this gamers opinion.

 

[CuteFaceJay]

Real shame because it's a real breath of fresh air. This game is like nothing else on the market. I personally love it but it's quite competitive and has a high learning curve which can be frustrating for a lot of players.

It becomes a walking simulator on respawn with long spawn times on top of that.

 

[crackajack]

Let's see where Helldivers 2 is in another 3 months, which would be a proper comparison between HD2 and this article on The Finals.

At only 3 months since release, HD2 is still in the usual honeymoon phase for a GaaS title.

The Finals is already F2P though. Sony can easily pull one or two additional people into their game, when they put it first on Plus and then maybe make it F2P for all. So comparing both is anyway not fair right now, some content updates for the Finals can make it more interesting I guess, but from the basic buying obstacle prospects or rather removing of them HD is as of now more modifiable.


This game looks somewhat interesting with its desctruction stuff. Still not enough to actually tempt me, but at least something, but if I would have time for MP stuff, I would probably check out Destiny, Fortnite, Apex etc before that, just because everyone else chose that previously and I would join the sheeps. I guess fighting your way into the market and not fade away as fast as you entered will be the biggest challenge for any new game. Just good enough won't cut it, and you will have to be unique or exceptional in some aspect.

 

[Heaven Angel]

I spend time playing a game that I enjoy playing with my brother and some friends. And I've only spent $15 on the initial battle pass which gives you more than enough premium currency to buy the next battle pass (which I did, season 2) and I have enough to get the next one. So $15 for 300+ hours of gameplay is pretty cheap mate.

That's what I'm saying, you have to pay in time in order to get to the next season. The grind part where you compulsorily have to complete objectives if you don't want to spend money on next season. That's the vicious circle they want to pull us in. If you, your brother and your friends don't mind the repeated narrow gameplay matches then you'll defend it but in time y'all too will get bored of it and spend money ultimately.

Not sure what server your friend is on but I've never seen an obvious cheater on the Oceanic server in all my time playing. But apparently I don't know what I'm talking about so!

There are ridiculous amount cheaters in games like these, regardless of which servers you're in. Most of the time you can't even figure out the cheaters.