"Once Human Dominates Steam Next Fest, Yet Wishlists Lag Behind"

Once Human, the eagerly awaited third-person shooter from NetEase, has achieved a remarkable milestone with over 15 million registrations worldwide. The game's success was particularly highlighted during Steam's Next Fest, where it garnered significant attention and became the top demo in terms of player engagement. However, there's an interesting nuance to this success story: out of the 15 million pre-registrations, only 300,000 are wishlists on Steam.

NetEase, traditionally known for its strong presence in the mobile gaming sector, has strategically chosen a PC-first release for Once Human, even scheduling the desktop version to launch ahead of its mobile counterpart. This move underscores the game's popularity on Steam, yet it also highlights a significant disparity between mobile and PC platforms. Despite the game's strong performance on Steam, the mobile platform still overshadows it in terms of pre-registration numbers.

This situation sheds light on the challenges of discoverability on PC compared to mobile. Even for a well-established developer like NetEase, achieving the same level of visibility and engagement on PC as on mobile can be quite challenging. The difference in pre-registration numbers versus Steam wishlists illustrates this dichotomy vividly.

While NetEase's focus on a PC-first release is not misguided, it does emphasize the contrasting audience sizes and engagement levels between the two platforms. As gamers eagerly await Once Human's release, those looking for something to play in the meantime can explore our comprehensive list of the best mobile games of 2024. Additionally, our constantly updated list of the most anticipated mobile games of the year offers a glimpse into upcoming releases that could be the next big hit in mobile gaming.