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Descenders launched on Nintendo Switch today 
so I thought it might be interesting to throw some *absolutely crazy stats* on Twitter, just to give an idea of how ridiculous the life of this game has been (and maybe some stuff you can do to replicate it!)
STATS THREAD GO:
so I thought it might be interesting to throw some *absolutely crazy stats* on Twitter, just to give an idea of how ridiculous the life of this game has been (and maybe some stuff you can do to replicate it!)
STATS THREAD GO:
1. When Descenders launched on Steam in Feb 2018 it did great, but not amazing -- around 10,000 units during launch month
Nearly 3 years later, the game has now sold 250,000 units, and 150,000 of those *were in the last year alone*
It just refuses to die
Nearly 3 years later, the game has now sold 250,000 units, and 150,000 of those *were in the last year alone*
It just refuses to die
2. When the game first launched in 2018, it had around 200 peak concurrent players. By mid 2019, that had risen to around 1,000 concurrents
Last weekend, the game hit a record concurrent peak of 5,170 players
Last weekend, the game hit a record concurrent peak of 5,170 players
3. You usually find that a game's launch revenue accounts for a decent portion of the overall revenue it ends up making - maybe 20-35%, dependent on the game
For Descenders, the launch month revenue is just 4% of the game's total revenue to date - $200k during launch, vs $5m now
For Descenders, the launch month revenue is just 4% of the game's total revenue to date - $200k during launch, vs $5m now
4. The game continues to be one of the top 10 most downloaded titles on Xbox Game Pass -- we see more than 250,000 new players picking the game up every single month right now
Nearly 3.5 million people have now played Descenders across all platforms
Nearly 3.5 million people have now played Descenders across all platforms
So the question is... how??
In Summer 2017, I was talking with @RageSquid about how, in theory, their creating a game with a very specific niche, that essentially had zero other games like it, could surely lead to extreme long-term sales
In Summer 2017, I was talking with @RageSquid about how, in theory, their creating a game with a very specific niche, that essentially had zero other games like it, could surely lead to extreme long-term sales
The theory was this:
- Pick an activity that everyone knows how to do
- Suss out whether that activity can translate well to a video game
- Now potentially anyone can enjoy that video game, including groups you can't usually target with regular video game genres
- Pick an activity that everyone knows how to do
- Suss out whether that activity can translate well to a video game
- Now potentially anyone can enjoy that video game, including groups you can't usually target with regular video game genres
So for Descenders, the thought process was:
- Everyone knows how to ride a bike
- Your knowledge of riding a bike can translate pretty well to a video game
- Therefore, anyone can potentially enjoy a mountain bike game (as long as it's a good game, of course!)
- Everyone knows how to ride a bike
- Your knowledge of riding a bike can translate pretty well to a video game
- Therefore, anyone can potentially enjoy a mountain bike game (as long as it's a good game, of course!)
Arguably, this train of thought has now come to fruition for Descenders, and is the most repeatable takeaway for any other devs
There were, of course, plenty of other factors in why Descenders has done as well as it has, including:
There were, of course, plenty of other factors in why Descenders has done as well as it has, including:
1. The price + the quality
We went for a slightly higher price than most smaller titles ($24.99), and I think that has been a major factor in players picking it up, as they see the higher price and assume it's going to be a higher quality level of experience (which it is!)
We went for a slightly higher price than most smaller titles ($24.99), and I think that has been a major factor in players picking it up, as they see the higher price and assume it's going to be a higher quality level of experience (which it is!)
2. Constant updates
Since the game launched in Feb 2018, there have been around 20 or so content updates for the game. It's kept people coming back and recommending it to their friends throughout these three years
Since the game launched in Feb 2018, there have been around 20 or so content updates for the game. It's kept people coming back and recommending it to their friends throughout these three years
3. Adding multiplayer in 2019
To be honest we weren't sure if this was even going to be good, or just feel awful and crowbarred in
We ended up going with a Destiny / No Man's Sky style multiplayer (passively see other players in your game) and it went down incredibly well
To be honest we weren't sure if this was even going to be good, or just feel awful and crowbarred in
We ended up going with a Destiny / No Man's Sky style multiplayer (passively see other players in your game) and it went down incredibly well
4. Adding mod support
We added mod support to the Steam version via @modiohq , and player numbers on Steam exploded. Although mods aren't supported on console, it has allowed us to carry some of those mods over to console as "official" bike parks
We added mod support to the Steam version via @modiohq , and player numbers on Steam exploded. Although mods aren't supported on console, it has allowed us to carry some of those mods over to console as "official" bike parks
5. Game Pass
I know I never shut up about it, but Game Pass was a major turning point for the game
Remember when PS Plus made Rocket League explode? Game Pass is doing (and continues to do) the same for Descenders, and we're currently exploring Series X stuff as a result
I know I never shut up about it, but Game Pass was a major turning point for the game
Remember when PS Plus made Rocket League explode? Game Pass is doing (and continues to do) the same for Descenders, and we're currently exploring Series X stuff as a result
Anyway, with the Nintendo Switch launch today, it means the game is basically now available on every major platform and we can finally sleep
If you still somehow haven't played Descenders, I'd highly recommend the Switch version, especially for playing with kids
Thanks all <3
If you still somehow haven't played Descenders, I'd highly recommend the Switch version, especially for playing with kids
Thanks all <3
Oh, and if you wanna see how it runs on Switch, here's the first 15 minutes captured direct from the console:
