The recent launch of Marathon has clearly demonstrated that the market for large-scale extraction shooters is robust enough to accommodate multiple major titles simultaneously. This healthy dynamic is clearly reflected in the Steam best-sellers chart.
Marathon has successfully maintained a strong presence near the top of the rankings, currently holding the sixth spot among the most-sold games. Meanwhile, ARC Raiders also commands a respectable position, securing the ninth spot.
Predictions that Marathon would falter, drawing comparisons to past disappointments like Concord or Highguard, have proven unfounded. Its average user rating on Steam has reached an impressive 88%, and on its release day, the game attracted over 88,000 concurrent players. Consequently, any discussions labeling Marathon as “Concord 3.0” are inaccurate. The game also boasts a high average score of 4.66 out of 5 in the PlayStation Store, further affirming its positive reception.
Furthermore, ARC Raiders appears largely unaffected by Marathon’s debut, at least within the Steam ecosystem. In fact, the game even experienced a notable surge in its player base on March 8th, peaking at over 235,000 concurrent users.
This positive trend for ARC Raiders can be attributed in part to its latest update, which introduced compelling new content. Ultimately, both shooters continue to evolve independently, affirming that the market is sufficiently expansive for both to flourish without one cannibalizing the other’s success.