Fans Discuss the Reason Behind DOOM: The Dark Ages’ Lukewarm Opening

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On Monday, May 19th, 2025, 1:15pm Update: DOOM: The Dark Ages saw only a modest increase in player numbers on Steam over the weekend. On Saturday, it reached a peak of 31,470 players, which was only 600 more than its initial peak on launch day.

It’s important to stress once more that having numerous concurrent players does not automatically equate to higher sales. However, games with a large user base generally tend to be successful, such as the recent Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Even though many people playing a game at the same time doesn’t guarantee more sales, games that attract a lot of users often become successful, like the recently popular Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

As a passionate fan, I’ve found myself pondering over the recent turn of events, questioning what might have caused this misstep. Some fellow enthusiasts are voicing concerns about the steep price tag, while others are mentioning the crowded release schedule as potential factors.

At this point, it appears that The Dark Ages hasn’t sparked much interest or excitement in the world, and we will have to await further updates from Bethesda for more details.

It appears that DOOM: The Dark Ages isn’t having a very strong beginning according to the number of simultaneous players on Steam.

Although this metric doesn’t provide a comprehensive view of the game’s total performance, it has peaked at 30,802 active players so far, and it seems unlikely that the number will grow substantially through the weekend.

For a clearer understanding, it’s important to note that the peak concurrent player count for DOOM Eternal was approximately 106,891. Interestingly, this number is more than triple the peak concurrent players of id Software’s most recent game.

Keep in mind that there are some points to ponder: “The Dark Ages” can be played via Xbox Game Pass, which might lure gamers away from Steam. However, it’s important to note that two other games, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, are also accessible through Microsoft’s subscription service, and boast a much larger player base than DOOM.

There’s a chance that the game is doing well on consoles, as it ranks third on the PlayStation Store’s best-sellers list, surpassed only by NBA 2K25 and Fortnite. However, considering the PC-focused history of this series, it appears doubtful that the PS5 version would significantly outperform its sales on personal computers.

Absolutely, these circumstances have sparked a thorough examination of where things might have gone awry. Despite the game receiving positive reviews, including a score of 8/10 from us, it’s been suggested that the influx of excellent games hitting the market at the same time has left fans overwhelmed and unable to keep up with them all.

Many people find the game’s expensive price tag quite notable, as spending $69.99 on a solo first-person shooter nowadays can be considered costly, regardless of its excellent quality.

From what I gather, it’s crucial to have more data than just the number of players simultaneously using Steam for evaluating DOOM: The Dark Ages’ initial week performance. As it stands, it appears that its launch may not have met expectations, starting off somewhat gradually.

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2025-05-19 15:36