Marvel's Avengers' Playerbase Fell Off The Face Of The Earth
"Marvel's Avengers," an action-adventure game based off of the hit comics and media franchise of the same name, seems like it should be a hit with superhero gaming fans. In 2020, Square Enix, a lead publisher in the gaming industry, and "Tomb Raider" developer Crystal Dynamics released a title that was supposed to bring superhero dream teams to life. In addition to a cinematic story with single-player and co-op modes, it has an online multiplayer that lets friends assemble teams of classic heroes. However, controversies such as the PlayStation exclusive Spider-Man DLC and a number of post launch issues seem to have taken their toll. Not only did the game bomb in sales, but it seems as though the game's playerbase has recently dropped to zero on than one occasion.
One Reddit user caught the unfortunate drop on Steam Charts, where the concurrent number of PC players briefly appeared as zero. This would theoretically mean that nobody was playing "Marvel's Avengers" at that point. However, many of the other commenters in the thread guessed that it was likely a glitch, and that the actual number of players was more than what was represented.
"Not that I'm defending the game, but I'm guessing the '0' is Steam maintenance or something," one user said. "Notice there are two other spikes on the line graph around June 1st where it looks like it dropped to 0."
What may have caused the Marvel's Avengers PC player crash?
Other players have pointed out that Steam maintenance only takes place on Tuesdays in the evening. Meanwhile, Best Gaming Tips and IsSteamDown.com likewise confirm that Steam maintenance typically happens as described. Even so, routine Steam maintenance wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility that shaky Square Enix servers could have also caused the dip.
But even a number close to zero points at a bigger problem for Crystal Dynamics. Game Rant reports that the game has experienced a steady decline since its release and only a few upticks, such as when the Hawkeye DLC dropped in March. A Black Panther-themed expansion is in the works, but content DLCs haven't seemed to please "Avengers" players for long.
In the original Reddit thread concerning the low player numbers, one user commented: "[Crystal Dynamics] makes costumes instead of content and we're all surprised that there's no players?"
Regardless of the reasons behind the low numbers, this troubling downward trend could be the wakeup call Crystal Dynamics needs to brainstorm content to please the frustrated fanbase, PC or otherwise.