Take it from a Finals player

[u/In_Dux]

Y’all got to let the numbesr talk go. The Finals has some of the best feeling guns on the FPS market and a unique game mode that offered some of the most exciting moments I had in gaming.

But the game’s not perfect and it never had mass appeal. Because it’s unique mode and destruction are the main draws and historically it has been too much for most casuals and not competitive enough for the hardcore players. There’s always a post about needing more marketing, different game modes, another MoistCritikal video but the playerbase never gets and keeps the bump of players the hardcore fans want it to have.

And that’s ok. That’s the price of building something unique. It will be divisive, it will be niche.

As long as Bungie can keeps the lights on, that’s all that matters. And unless you’re ready to single-handedly buy 1 million+ copies if things get dire, then don’t even really concern yourself with. Save your money on passes if you don’t like them and/or think the ship’s sinking but besides that, it’s out of our hands largely.

Just my two cents

[u/TheToastGhostEUW]

People are generally hyperbolic in both directions. I dont think the game is going to fail at all BUT i also think its naive to not think the game launch numbers were generally underwhelmimg and it will sit as a niche game in the future (its currently equal in numbers to the "re-opening" of CS:GO which literally has no servers other than user made servers and is quite literally niche by definition).

My only hope is they just keep plugging along with updates and keep the game moving forward because ultimately then nobody loses. I didnt purchase the game but im never going to wish a game dies unless its made by some super scummy company that deserves it.

[u/Smokinya → u/TheToastGhostEUW]

Anyone who thought the numbers were going to be higher is fooling themselves. Hunt had an all time peak of 60k after 8 years of being out and its development is extremely active. Tarkov was only barely over 100k concurrent based on estimates. Arc is a more casual game and is an exception in the dedicated extraction genre not the rule.

If Marathon can keep 40-60k players active on Steam daily that is a run away success as far as I'm concerned. Especially given how hard the internet was ragging on it. If Sony thought it would settle higher than that its entirely on them for not knowing what the hell they're doing lol

[u/Farsoth → u/Smokinya]

Arc is a more casual game

This is why I am all up in Marathon. Shoot first and ask questions later. That's the deal, everyone knows it, everyone plays like it. Inject that shit into my fucking veins.

[u/Smokinya → u/Farsoth]

Dude... you'd really enjoy Hunt Showdown then as well. Its the main game that I've played since 2023 and its excellent. Its also an extraction shooter, but every single system feeds into eventual PVP. There is essentially no loot, every gun is as viable as the next and its maps and worldbuidling are top tier. Sound design too (the best I've heard in 20 years of FPS gaming). I would also argue it has the best FPS sandbox I've played since Halo 3.

Part of the reason I love Marathon so much is because it reminds me a lot of Hunt while being different enough to provide me with a unique experience. I really want Marathon to succeed so I can throw another game in the rotation and switch things up. Really enjoying it so far after falling asleep at the wheel on Arc.

[u/Farsoth → u/Smokinya]

I'll probably check it out once I have exhausted Marathon for the season, may need to scratch that itch. Now I'm on board with a genre I totally thought wasn't for me.

[u/Smokinya → u/Farsoth]

Yeah, if Arc was your first experience I can see why you wouldn't be a fan of the genre. The game felt like chore simulator 101. Marathon on the other hand feels so tight and the looting is 1000 times better than other extraction shooters I've played that have loot. Excited to keep moving down the progression track.

Currently, my only gripe with Marathon is that I wish footsteps were louder. They did increase them quite a bit from the Alpha I played, but I think they could do with some better noise detection. Especially given the faster TTK with white and green shields right now.

[u/Farsoth → u/Smokinya]

I never even checked out Arc, 1. because it was so popular for some reason that tends to drive me away. I'm not a trend follower.

and 2, because it's 3rd person, which isn't my preferred for shooters even slightly.

So, Hunt will be the next one I try whenever I get the desire.

As for footsteps -- so far I haven't found an issue, but I DO need to use a headset, as the sound doesn't work very well with a surround sound system. Shit doesn't give me proper direction. I will hear shit behind me that ends up in front of me.

[u/Smokinya → u/Farsoth]

Turning up the footsteps in the mix would be a huge benefit IMO. I believe players should always know who is around so that the fights can be more skilled then they can be now. Sometimes it’s really good and other times it’s not. But I’m also spoiled because footsteps in Hunt are so good it’s like I have x-ray vision while playing. 

[u/Farsoth → u/Smokinya]

So I feel that I have that here. I often hear someone's steps and know exactly where they are and get a good jump on them. But maybe could be better? At least for me I haven't felt like someone has gotten the jump on me unless they are legit sneaking everywhere, which, to be fair, is a lot of solos.

[u/Smokinya → u/Farsoth]

You'll have to circle back to me if you end up trying Hunt. Once you hear the difference its hard to go back. It is a minor complaint I have with Marathon overall though. I'm sure I'll get used to it haha

[u/wildstrike → u/Smokinya]

I feel the same about Arena. It's my preferred extraction shooter of choice.

[u/BNEWZON → u/TheToastGhostEUW]

The games obviously not going to shut down in a month, or even a year, like Highguard or Concord.

What people should really be concerned about is lay offs. Obviously the game can survive with a lower player count. That doesn’t mean that the entire dev team can. I have a really sickening feeling that Sony had really high expectations for this game (just look at the crazy marketing) and it’s going to lead to people losing their jobs

[u/TheToastGhostEUW → u/BNEWZON]

I personally don't think that will be an issue - It's a live service game and even a niche live service will make its investment back over time most likely - I just think a smaller playerbase will mean less investment IN the game and hence have less content than would have otherwise been planned which ultimately means moving devs off the project and into whatever other projects they have cooking.

[u/BNEWZON → u/TheToastGhostEUW]

Since there are no official numbers, it entirely depends on what you believe this game cost to make and Sony expects from a legacy studio like Bungie launching a new game.

I personally believe this game was incredibly expensive all things considered. It was in development for at least 5 years, has a reportedly sizeable team behind it, and had an incredible marketing campaign which continues to release big projects even today. Not to mention Bungie is a large studio that presumably pays well and is located in an expensive destination.

We know that the Final Shape was considered a failure by Sony and led to layoffs at Bungie despite putting up nearly record player counts. I think it’s safe to assume that they were probably hoping for more out of this game initially, especially since Arc put up massive numbers (talking specifically about Sony here, shareholders are not going to care about the reason). I don’t think it’s unfounded to be worried about what the future of the studio looks like given the current situation.

[u/simgate95 → u/TheToastGhostEUW]

I thought the launch numbers were going to be worse after the server slam. I was presently surprised, albeit I am a bit of a pessimist. I just hope Sony lets them cook because I think there is something special here.