Nexon's The First Descendant Struggles with Retention Despite Character Hype; CEO Admits Fundamental Design Flaws
The First Descendant, a new title from Nexon, experienced a high-profile launch, initially garnering significant attention. A contributing factor to this buzz was its character design, featuring female characters in revealing outfits and detailed body physics, which captivated many.
However, the game quickly faced challenges with player retention. While its concurrent player count initially soared to over 260,000, it sharply declined to approximately 10,000, and more recently hovers between 5,000 and 6,000.
During a recent investor briefing, CEO Jung-hoon Lee addressed projects that are "not performing" as expected.
Commenting on Dungeon & Fighter Mobile, Lee stated that despite an "excellent start in 2024," the game subsequently "lost momentum." He attributed this to "player retention mechanics [that] proved insufficient to engage players over the long term."
Lee further elaborated, "The First Descendant faces the same issue – a strong launch followed by poor audience retention. These are fundamental design flaws that cannot be resolved with a simple patch; they necessitate structural changes to the game's core mechanics."
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