Nexon's top management shared some very discouraging news about long-term health First offspring. The heist shooter has been out for less than two years, but the publisher's CEO is already debating whether it has met the company's internal goals. While First offspring initially he had great momentum, the higher ups are now very open about his ability to retain an audience.
When First offspring first debuted in July 2024 and was positioned as a high-budget, free-to-play experience that combines tactical shooters with a deep gear system. As a live service title, it was built from the ground up to be a perpetual game that will receive constant updates to keep fans engaged with the grind. Nexon hoped it would be a mainstay for their global business, standing alongside other massive multiplayer hits. In those first few weeks, Nexon certainly looked like it was on to a winner as thousands of players flocked to it First Descendant A sci-fi world to explore with its unique characters and fast-paced action.
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“Strong Start” of the first offspring with zero stamina
The mood changed dramatically during a recent capital markets briefing where Nexon CEO Junghun Lee gave a brutally honest assessment of the studio's recent performance. In that presentation, Lee admitted that “the product portfolio that Nexon supports is too broad – too many projects are running without a practical business case” and admitted that “Nexon has been too slow to make the tough calls in an industry where the cost of indecision can be enormous.” Lee specifically stated this First offspring shared the same fate as Dungeon & Fighter Mobile—both games had great starts but lacked “staying power”. Lee didn't hold back, and during the official introduction, he put the game directly into a category called “What didn't work”. Lee stated, “Let me start by evaluating what didn't work. Dungeon&Fighter Mobile took off with tremendous momentum in 2024, then lost direction. The retention mechanics weren't strong enough to keep players around long-term. Same problem with First offspring: Strong start, no endurance. These are design issues that are not fixed by a patch – they require structural changes to game mechanics.” He went on to explain that “a structure that can't keep people motivated to play is draining the fun and driving user churn” and noted that “margins are shrinking and the pop we're getting from launching new titles isn't holding up. We need to figure out why.”
The data to support these claims is stark, especially when you look at Steam's charts that track PC players. While the game attracted a staggering 264,000 concurrent users at launch, Forbes reports that number has dropped 96% over the past two years. The daily player peak recently struggled to reach even 5,000 people, a tiny fraction of the crowd needed to sustain such a large live streaming project. Social media buzz for Last descendant has also completely dried up, with Twitch viewership dropping from 160,000 concurrent viewers during the launch window to a measly 200 today. Even reviews reflect this downward trend, with the game holding a “mixed” rating on Steam from over 110,000 reviews and a score of just 56 on OpenCritic.
One of the biggest obstacles cited by players and critics alike was the punishing nature of the game's core systems. While the initial loot loop was fun enough to sink hundreds of hours into, crushing new characters eventually became tiring for long-term players. Once the player reached a certain point, the wall to progress seemed too high, causing many to simply give up. To counter this, Nexon has leaned heavily into aesthetic microtransactions and added many revealing outfits. Over time, the studio intensified the sex-appeal, even bringing a collaboration between the two First offspring and Nier: Automata 2B, but even the most modest costumes couldn't convince people to stay. While these scandalous additions generated some short-term headlines, they weren't enough to mask the deeper mechanical flaws Lee mentioned.
Even with the CEO being so critical, the game isn't quite dead yet, though its pulse is definitely fading. Nexon is still supporting the project in a “small capacity”, with a new patch arriving on April 2nd, and plans for character updates are still ongoing. However, these small updates may only be a temporary measure while the company figures out if the overall overhaul is even worth the investment. Live service games are incredibly expensive to maintain, and if the player base continues to hover close to the floor, Nexon may eventually pull the plug. Lee asked about the new investment: “Can it become something that players build their lives around?” and noted that “development costs have risen and new games have slipped from their schedule – two dynamics that are compounding margin pressure.” For now, fans still playing can expect a few more seasonal updates, but the CEO's blunt comments have left a dark cloud over the game's long-term survival. The message is clear: without a major change in gameplay, the game may never recover from its current slump.
- Released
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July 2, 2024
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood, Strong Themes, Strong Language
- Developers
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Nexon games
