At GDC this week, Nexon ran a session on what it’s characterizing as the redemption arc of The First Descendant, the MMO-ish looter-shooter that launched last summer, or “Shooty with the Booty,” as my esteemed colleagues have decided to refer to it. Perhaps you might be wondering what the redemption is for, and it turns out to be the product of the industry’s ongoing unhealthy obsession with Metacritic, as the game team apparently took its 57 Metacritic score rather personally.
Nexon says that in spite of the nasty launch reviews, it pushed forward into its second season, which saw “significant growth in both player engagement and overall game popularity” – specifically, an 18% boost in new players when compared to the update before it, a 25% increase in daily players, and a new concurrent count of 23K on Steam.
As part of the panel, Nexon also teased the forthcoming season for the game.
“Additionally, for the groundbreaking update, Season 3: The Breakthrough, coming this summer, the team is taking a new approach to expand The First Descendant. Players can look forward to a larger battlefield to explore, new vehicles for transportation, exciting Colossus battles on expansive fields and a new lounge space.”
Expect it in July.
