I mean since January game barely holds 4,4k players on average so this update is pretty much - bring players back to revifify game and hook them to new non-RNG progression or it will just plumet more and more.
They are surely not getting more players.
Even if the item update will be the last one darktide will ever receive, the same players will still play it for years. Such was the deal with vermintide, so it will be for darktide.
I know i will still play tide for the next several years even if it will not receive a single update.
Unless a direct competitor will show up (and no, i dont mean any horde game, there is far more to tide games then the hordes) both darktide AND vermintide will continue to stay alive.
Also “barely” 4k players? 4000 is alot of people. You want to see how a dead game actually looks? look up “monstrum 2”. 4k is nowhere near a worrying number. once it drops below 500, then they should start sweating.
I’ve played MMOs with less than 4k concurrent users. Also that figure doesn’t include Xbox/gamepass (although Steam will still be the biggest).
4000 is a lot? Come on, man. I didn’t say it’s a dead game, I meant that it’s going that way becasue game with 4k players on average is just not relevant or a successful business model. Game is alive, yes, same as person at hospital is still alive. It’s not dead, but you can’t call that person healthy. I bet right now (and I am fairy sure with that) game a best breaks even and most developers probaly work on new project for a long time casue this game is not earning enough bucks to work on it more seriously. At best if new update to item progression will be good - game has a chance of double that average number since players won’t burn out on idiotic RNG progression after initial leveling.
Deep Rock Galactic in same period (since January) is having average 10k players without any major content updates simply because game is more friendly to players and is more rewarding with time invested. It’s also way easier for new players to hop in, get into game and progress to catch up with the rest. And that’s without strong trademark of 40k behind it.
Also I doubt new update will flop (I would say chances are low but it’s Fatshark, they always find way to fk up even best opportunities) but regarding “same numbers of players will still play” - I bet there is fair amount of them in that 4k that also have high hopes with new itemization update and overhaul. If Fatshark will fumble, that 4k is definitely not going up for sustainable period after initial surge that will happen to check itemization update.
This is not how a live service game works (business wise). Its not about how many players are playing the game, its how many players are buying the skins.
And it is going pretty god damn well for fatshark. In fact its going so well, people actually made threads on this forum that they will quit the game unless fatshark makes a faster and better way for people to give them money.
Not to mention fatshark produces the skins by off sourcing the job to a dirt cheap sweatshop (or so say the rumors, i dont think that was actually confirmed anywhere so dont quote me on that)
You ALSO seem to forget this is NOT a free to play game. EVERYONE payed 40-ish dollars ( “ish” because discounts) to play it.
According to “VG Insights” darktide overall sold 3 million copies and made around 90 million dollars. Considering fatshark is a relatively small studio of only 90-ish people, they probably broke even before the game even launched thanks to pre-orders.
And that is counting the game copies alone not the skins. Considering how many players you see in-game with premium cosmetics, id say darktide was extremely successful so far.
So i say again, darktide is a very healthy game. It simply has a very toxic relationship with its players so the actual situation look different from what is really happening.
Also lastly, stop comparing other games to eachother. Just because 1 product had much better results that doesnt make the other product a failure.
Comparing games like this is like 1 rich guy calling another rich guy poor because his mansion only has 2 giant pools and no pet lion.
I meant breaking even now, after release. What you mention here is breaking even with cost of developing game (including paying share to GW, distribution, marketing, playing employees, server costs etc.) before game even released. But after that you still need to pay your employees, server costs, office costs etc. and have costs of maintaing a game. I highly doubt 4k average is enough to make big bucks every months after release, that’s why I am fairy sure they just break even with costs becasue they employees still need to work on new project. Enough to keep them up before they can sell something that will make profit again. And you still have all the costs that whole studio has everyday while working on something new. And every year costs go up, while player count does not.
That is a good point you make, if players such as yourself are seeking more context, we all need everyone who feels like there is lack of context to be fixed up by Fatshark. The Gameplay Feedback posting section and tagging mention to StrawHat can help get these things on their checklist.
Recently, @FatsharkStrawHat mentioned that they have sat down with the FS team, cracked open the Book Of Grudges, Bugs reports, Tech Support, Feedback, etc all listed out into a large checklist they are seeking to go thru with everything to get as much improvement done by the next DLC patch, and for smaller fixes, they are included in hotfixes.
I will be sharing the details for the balance changes ahead of time! Either this week or next week I’ll be sharing patch notes for community to view. 
We’ve got some coming for weapons, blessings and classes.
Like you said, please tag me in things and I can view them and make sure I get them added to a check list to be reviewed. I have trouble being able to read every post that’s created throughout the forums. Mentioning me helps! 
Fingers crossed for irritating bugs getting fixed and more Ogryn Pickaxe style balancing where 3 weapons can be worthwhile instead of 1-2.
you’re the best! 
Cool stuff, keep it up
exactly. i said this somewhere too. i’d like having all usable weapons with pros and cons where none is clearly worse.
Thank you @FatsharkStrawHat I will make sure to tag
My biggest concern, assuming I didn’t misread the Q&A, is that my best Blessings are on the weapons I use, thus I don’t actually own those Blessings because I’m not going to destroy the weapons I’m using for them. I get the logic for weighting higher level Blessings, but I think I might actually have more lower level Blessings than higher level ones, because when I get a higher level one it tends to be an item I want to keep.
I’m wondering if I should scrap all my items before the update to have more progress, or keep my items and risk having no progress in the new system.
They’re weapons you already use. Run some missions with them after the patch. Mastery complete.
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