![]() Additionally, there have been many reports of bugs, such as input issues and screen freezes during online matches on PC. While Arc System Works and Eighting promised a more extensive balance patch later this year, there hasn’t been an update on this in months, and there are no announced plans for new characters. There has only been a single balance patch, and aside from some nerfs to Swift Master, the changes were relatively inconsequential. While it’s not uncommon for entries in the genre to have wonky balancing at release, the far greater issue is that almost nothing has been done to address this. Other characters, like the close-ranged brawler Striker and the comeback-enabling Hitman, were also a cut above, while others like Launcher and Vanguard were considered underwhelming. After its first few weeks, disparities between the cast’s haves and have-nots became apparent as Swift Master, a suitably named air mage, dominated tournaments and online play. The first level of woes are some of the usual suspects for many fighting games: balance issues and a lack of support. This all begs the question, what went wrong? Personally, I sunk in roughly 80 hours over the first month, and it initially lived up to my expectations. ![]() Additionally, the online play is relatively smooth, and the ranked mode feels well-implemented. In its betas, these characters’ maximalist movesets seemed like they would be a blast to use, and the differences between their gameplans made it seem like matchups would be varied and engaging. The cast is distinctive, embodying extreme renditions of gameplay archetypes like back-breaking grapplers, slippery zoners, and speedy rushdown brawlers. It sports the type of flashy anime aesthetic Arc System Works is known for and was co-developed by Eighting, who created the beloved Marvel vs. Going into its release, there were many reasons to be excited for DNF Duel. While almost all this popularity comes from China, where it recorded as many as 5 million concurrent players, one would assume that at least some of this player base may have carried over. This is even more bizarre considering the fighter is based on the world of Dungeon Fighter Online, a South Korean multiplayer RPG that has over 850 million registered players with sales of $18 billion, making it one of the most popular videogames of all time. Compared to the studio’s other older titles like Strive(2021) (24-hour peak: 1,958), Dragon Ball FighterZ(2018) (24-hour peak: 1,401), or BlazBlue: Central Fiction(2016) (24-hour peak: 367) the game’s community seems to have evaporated. Months later, things have only gotten worse, and as of today it bottomed out at around a 24-hour peak of just 48 concurrent players on PC according to SteamDB, down from 12,331 when it released in June. While most fighting games get a decent bump in player count following the mega-tourney, as spectators flock to recreate the heroics they just witnessed, the post-EVO DNF Duel active player count was still in freefall. ![]() ![]() However, there was one notable exception from the main stage: the studio’s most recently released outing, DNF Duel. In addition to developing three of the nine titles officially featured at the tournament, their 2021 sequel to a formerly niche series, Guilty Gear Strive, was the most entered game at the event and received the coveted final broadcasting slot of the night. Coming off EVO 2022, the biggest fighting game tournament in the land, Arc System Works reigned supreme. ![]()
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