It’s tough to get exact player numbers for most games, given that this information is almost always closely guarded by those who control it. There will typically be announcements regarding milestones, such as reaching one million or ten million players, but for the most part, obtaining accurate player data is like extracting blood from a stone.
That’s why everyone tends to rely on Steam, which has publicly accessible player data. However, one Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown developer from Nacon has pointed out why that’s a bad idea.
It’s Extrapolation
The industry has long relied on Steam’s player counts as a representative example of how games are performing. It’s data that’s typically extrapolated and laden with ‘assumptions’ that games are performing on other platforms just as they are on Steam, the biggest storefront and launcher platform on PC.
In a recent interview with Push Square, it was made clear by Sebastien Waxin, a developer from Nacon working on Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown, why that’s a terrible way to work:
A lot of players are watching Steam numbers because they’re the only statistics available. But the Steam community for Test Drive Unlimited is not the biggest, and the difference can be very big between PS5, which is the most active platform for our game. So, we know people are looking at Steam because it’s the only numbers available, but trust me it’s not representative at all.
Even in the interview, Waxin was reluctant to provide numbers to back up his claim, with Push Square highlighting that it was still unaware of the full scope of players on Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown.
When I checked before publishing this article, Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown had just 70 active players on Steam…
If you ever see an article about a certain game losing a particular percentage of players, you can bet your last dollar that the figures have been taken from a site like Steam Charts or Steam DB. They’re commonly used resources for claiming player data, sales figures, followers, and other metrics.
Do you think more platforms should offer accessible player data? Let me know on the Insider Gaming forum.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
I’d say his statements are fair for games like Monster Hunter: Wilds, where the vast majority of players are on console because the PC version is flawed beyond belief. Also some games really show what platform they were designed for, and the PC base tends to want to feel catered to directly and not feel like an afterthought.
Console vs PC aside, there’s also other platforms like Epic and GOG.