In December, Embark Studios shadowdropped The Finals, a high-octane, destructive first-person shooter with some hero elements worked in. It pulled in a substantial audience overnight, reaching a peak player count of a quarter of a million users on Steam alone. This free-to-play shooter was regarded as a ‘major franchise pillar’ for Nexon, the game’s publisher and great expectations rose following a successful launch window.
However, in the most recent financial update from Nexon, it was confirmed numerous times that The Finals isn’t hitting expected targets and that work is underway to find out why that is.
Not Hitting The Mark
In the financial letter published recently by Nexon, it was revealed:
The launch of Season 2 in March created a short-lived increase in player metrics but delivered lower-than-expected retention and revenue. The Embark team is working with our Korea-based Live Operations team to understand and address the key issues.
Elsewhere, Nexon admitted that the solid results of other titles in its portfolio were ‘partially offset’ by The Finals’ shortfall. Ultimately, The Final’s failure to deliver on expectations meant that the publisher reported lower revenue than it was originally targeting, despite reporting growth in MapleStory and rampant success from DAVE THE DIVER.
It wasn’t all bad, though. Nexon’s report confirmed that The Finals pushed consolidated MAUs up on a year-over-year basis. The free-to-play nature of the game was always bound to attract a vast audience, and even the teething issues caused by rampant cheating weren’t enough to keep away a core following.
That’s not the end of the story, though. Nexon expects growth for The Finals, particularly with the game’s third season dropping in June.
For more Insider Gaming, read about the launch details for Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut and subscribe to the Insider Gaming Newsletter to keep up to date with all things gaming.
