Remedy Entertainment’s debut into the world of multiplayer gaming, FBC: Firebreak, has reached a significant milestone: one million players. This announcement was made via the developer’s social media channels just a few hours ago, signaling a notable achievement for the Finnish company.
However, Remedy didn’t rest on its laurels; they acknowledged the road ahead, with plenty of work still to be done to refine the game and meet player expectations.
In their statement, Remedy expressed their gratitude: “As of last night, we have surpassed 1 million players in FBC: Firebreak. This is a significant milestone, so thank you for playing from all of us at Remedy. We know there is still a lot of work ahead of us, and we are super-motivated about it. We have a lot of exciting things cooking for Firebreak players! More about that soon.”
While the one million-player mark is an exciting achievement, it’s worth noting that the game’s availability on major subscription services, namely Sony’s PlayStation Plus and Microsoft’s Game Pass, has played a significant role in boosting its numbers. FBC: Firebreak has been included in both services since day one, offering players immediate access.
Despite the early success, Steam numbers have been less impressive. The game peaked at nearly 2,000 players just 10 days ago but has seen a sharp decline since then. Yesterday, the peak was only 169 players, and at the time of writing, there were just 78 players actively playing on Steam.
To make matters more complex, the user reviews on Steam are mixed, with only 67% of players leaving positive feedback. While it’s still too soon to call it a failure, the situation isn’t promising. We’ve seen online games start off with a rough launch only to turn things around with consistent improvements and a dedicated fanbase. But the reverse is also true, with games that launched strong only to fizzle out over time. As with any live-service game, FBC: Firebreak’s success will ultimately depend on Remedy’s ability to listen to player feedback, analyze it, and implement necessary changes.
It remains to be seen whether Remedy can overcome the challenges ahead and turn FBC: Firebreak into a lasting and thriving game, or whether it will fall into the same trap that has claimed many games before it. We’ll be keeping an eye on its progress over the coming months.