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The Finals has an incredibly dedicated community, with many calling it a breath of fresh air for competitive gaming. Unfortunately, it has yet to crack the level of players that more established games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty, Apex Legends, and Valorant see.
Currently, The Finals averages approximately 20,000 concurrent players on Steam, a far cry from the average of over 2 million concurrent players that are jumping from the Fortnite Battle Bus.
Players on Reddit believe that The Finals should be the biggest game in the world, but many recognize the flaws that are preventing it from reaching the heights of its competitors. The Finals is focused around team-based playing, which can put people off as many players enjoy gaming on their own, or don’t feel comfortable using a microphone with teammates they may not be familiar with.
Some players also cited the three-player teams as being a potential issue, stating that the game would be more enjoyable with larger teams, such as what is seen in the more casual 5v5 Power Shift mode which has been a huge hit with players since it was released with Season 2.
U/Architect__ made some good points as to why The Finals may not be connecting with the mainstream audience and that is it simply doesn’t do anything better than what another game does. They explain how games such as Fortnite have frequent updates and fun limited-time events. Apex Legends has incredibly fun gunplay and smooth movement. Rainbow Six Siege thrives on intelligent tactics. Overwatch focuses on “strategic team compositions,” and Destiny has mastered getting players to endlessly grind. While none of these games do everything better than the rest, each does something better than The Finals, which could explain why it hasn’t been able to compete in an already over-saturated genre.
With the right changes to the game and improved marketing strategies, it is possible that The Finals could break through where it currently stands and position itself as a top competitive shooter. But, based on previous games, it is possible that the game could cease to exist within the next few years and that would be a shame.
If you don’t want to see that happen then now is a good time to jump into The Finals for the first time as Season 2 recently started, bringing new modes, weapons, items, abilities, and more. To get started, we highly recommend checking out our best Light build guide, best Medium build guide, and best Heavy build guide so you can create the best loadout to suit your play style.
