Home > News > Once Human is a big hit at Steam Next Fest, but wishlists are a drop in the bucket

Once Human is a big hit at Steam Next Fest, but wishlists are a drop in the bucket

by Nicholas Feb 11,2025

NetEase's upcoming third-person shooter, Once Human, boasts over 15 million global pre-registrations, a significant achievement highlighted by its Steam Next Fest success. However, a closer look reveals a notable discrepancy: while pre-registrations are impressive, only 300,000 represent Steam wishlists.

This disparity underscores the challenges of achieving comparable discoverability on PC compared to mobile, especially for a developer like NetEase with a strong mobile gaming background. Despite its PC-first release strategy, Once Human remains highly popular on Steam, attracting the most demo players during Next Fest. This success, however, pales in comparison to its overall pre-registration numbers, largely driven by mobile platforms.

NetEase's focus on a PC audience is understandable, but the figures highlight a significant difference in audience reach and discoverability between PC and mobile gaming. Even a major developer faces hurdles in replicating mobile success on the PC platform.

While awaiting Once Human's release, explore our curated lists of the best and most anticipated mobile games of 2024. These lists offer a diverse selection of high-quality mobile titles to keep you entertained.

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