The sequel to the BAFTA-nominated city-building survival game "Frostpunk" was released on Friday evening.
On Saturday, the game recorded a peak of 35,533 concurrent players on the Steam platform.
"We anticipated a significantly higher peak player count in the range of 80,000 to 100,000, so the 35.5k figure is a negative surprise," stated Erste Group analyst Piotr Bogusz. He also noted that "relatively poor" ratings could influence the purchasing choices of players who have shown interest in Frostpunk 2.
"A decline in the average rating below the 80% mark impacts the game's visibility on Steam, which may affect sales," he added.
As of Monday, the game held a "mostly positive" rating on Steam, with 71% of 4,986 user reviews being favorable, highlighting the graphics and strategic elements of the sequel. However, negative feedback pointed to issues with optimization and a perceived lack of immersion compared to the original game.
"We perhaps expected slightly higher ratings, but the negative sentiment or disappointment among players stems from the fact that this is not merely a sequel to Frostpunk 1; it is Frostpunk 2. Maybe we did not communicate clearly enough that it is not a clone or a straightforward sequel, but rather a distinct game," remarked Dariusz Wolak, investor relations manager at 11 bit studios, in an interview with Reuters.
On Monday, 11 bit studios announced that sales of Frostpunk 2 had surpassed 350,000 copies, with total estimated revenue exceeding production and marketing expenses.
"We feel very positive about the product. We have achieved our internal quality goals for the game. The sales during this launch period have also met our expectations," Wolak stated.