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Two weeks after launch, FragPunk’s playerbase decline sends a clear warning
Every new game in the hero shooter genre aims to become the next Valorant or Overwatch 2 killer. Unfortunately for FragPunk, that doesn't seem likely right now. Overwatch 2 has kept stable on Steam with constant updates, new heroes, and regular new content pubished. Valorant's playerbase also remains strong and keeps it especially relevant in the esports scene. Amid this strong competition, FragPunk, which had a successful launch in early March and peaked impressively at over 110,000 concurrent players on Steam, is already struggling to maintain its player base. FragPunk has already lost almost 60% of its players Fragpunk, a 5v5 hero shooter released on March 6, has experienced a significant drop in active players, peaking at just over 48,000 concurrent players by March 20—a decline of almost 60% compared to its March 9 peak, according to SteamDB. The FragPunk player base is declining steadily. Screenshot from SteamDB by Destructoid. Despite similarities to Valorant and Overwatch 2, Fragpunk has had trouble keeping players engaged. Many gamers have returned to the titles they played previously or simply dropped the game, raising questions about how many players will remain dedicated to Fragpunk long-term. The game's popularity has decreased steadily on Steam's Top Selling list as well, where it now ranks 55th as of March 20, a drop of 46 positions. For free-to-play games like Fragpunk, this ranking reflects spending on in-game microtransactions and add-ons. FragPunk's declining player base is not problematic—yet While such a decline is not unexpected for multiplayer games—especially those competing against established giants—this consistent downward trend could be a concern for the developers, though not necessarily a major issue for the player base yet. With a peak of 40,000 players, it should still be easy for players to find Fragpunk matches and enjoy online play. But it's unclear where the decline will plateau. Other multiplayer games like The Finals, which peaked at 242,000 concurrent players, settled around 15,000 to 20,000 concurrent player peaks, with bigger spikes following major updates. Fragpunk might follow a similar cycle, regaining players as new seasons and updates are released. The current decline doesn't mean Fragpunk is dying, and many games experience sharper drops, but it's also not entirely secure. If the downward trend continues steadily, the player base could shrink significantly in the coming weeks or months. Fragpunk isn't finished yet, but clearly, something about the game hasn't been able to hold players' attention once the novelty wore off. The post Two weeks after launch, FragPunk’s playerbase decline sends a clear warning appeared first on Destructoid.
Every new game in the hero shooter genre aims to become the next Valorant or Overwatch 2 killer. Unfortunately for FragPunk, that doesn't seem likely right now.
Overwatch 2 has kept stable on Steam with constant updates, new heroes, and regular new content pubished. Valorant's playerbase also remains strong and keeps it especially relevant in the esports scene.
Amid this strong competition, FragPunk, which had a successful launch in early March and peaked impressively at over 110,000 concurrent players on Steam, is already struggling to maintain its player base.
FragPunk has already lost almost 60% of its players
Fragpunk, a 5v5 hero shooter released on March 6, has experienced a significant drop in active players, peaking at just over 48,000 concurrent players by March 20—a decline of almost 60% compared to its March 9 peak, according to SteamDB.
Despite similarities to Valorant and Overwatch 2, Fragpunk has had trouble keeping players engaged. Many gamers have returned to the titles they played previously or simply dropped the game, raising questions about how many players will remain dedicated to Fragpunk long-term.
The game's popularity has decreased steadily on Steam's Top Selling list as well, where it now ranks 55th as of March 20, a drop of 46 positions. For free-to-play games like Fragpunk, this ranking reflects spending on in-game microtransactions and add-ons.
FragPunk's declining player base is not problematic—yet
While such a decline is not unexpected for multiplayer games—especially those competing against established giants—this consistent downward trend could be a concern for the developers, though not necessarily a major issue for the player base yet.
With a peak of 40,000 players, it should still be easy for players to find Fragpunk matches and enjoy online play. But it's unclear where the decline will plateau. Other multiplayer games like The Finals, which peaked at 242,000 concurrent players, settled around 15,000 to 20,000 concurrent player peaks, with bigger spikes following major updates. Fragpunk might follow a similar cycle, regaining players as new seasons and updates are released.
The current decline doesn't mean Fragpunk is dying, and many games experience sharper drops, but it's also not entirely secure. If the downward trend continues steadily, the player base could shrink significantly in the coming weeks or months. Fragpunk isn't finished yet, but clearly, something about the game hasn't been able to hold players' attention once the novelty wore off.
The post Two weeks after launch, FragPunk’s playerbase decline sends a clear warning appeared first on Destructoid.
