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

Author : Ethan Update : Feb 19,2025

Once Human, NetEase's upcoming third-person shooter, boasts over 15 million global pre-registrations, a significant achievement highlighted by its Steam Next Fest success. However, a closer look reveals a noteworthy discrepancy. While pre-registrations are impressive, only 300,000 translate to Steam wishlists. This highlights NetEase's PC-first approach, a strategic shift for a company traditionally focused on mobile gaming.

This isn't to criticize NetEase's strategy; Once Human's Steam Next Fest participation attracted a substantial number of demo players. The situation, however, underscores the stark contrast between mobile and PC gaming markets, with mobile maintaining a clear advantage in reach and discoverability.

yt
Subscribe to Pocket Gamer on
NetEase's PC focus is understandable, but the figures reveal the challenge even major developers face in achieving comparable visibility and player acquisition on PC compared to mobile platforms.

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