NetEase's upcoming third-person shooter, Once Human, has achieved impressive pre-registration numbers, exceeding 15 million worldwide. The game's strong showing at Steam Next Fest further highlights its appeal. However, a closer look reveals a significant difference between overall registrations and Steam wishlist numbers; while boasting over 15 million pre-registrations, only 300,000 are Steam wishlists. This disparity is notable, especially considering NetEase's historically strong mobile presence and their PC-first release strategy for Once Human.
While Once Human's Steam Next Fest performance was undeniably impressive, attracting the most demo players, it underscores the stark contrast between mobile and PC gaming markets. NetEase's ambition to prioritize a PC release isn't inherently flawed, but this data points to the challenges even major developers face in achieving comparable levels of visibility and player engagement on PC compared to mobile platforms.
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This isn't a criticism of NetEase's strategy, but rather an observation about the inherent differences in market dynamics. The success on Steam Next Fest is undeniable, but the significantly lower wishlist count compared to total pre-registrations highlights the challenges of discoverability on PC.
In the meantime, while you eagerly await Once Human's release, explore our curated lists of the best and most anticipated mobile games of 2024. Discover exciting titles to keep you entertained until Once Human arrives.
