I know who is a PS Oortian when they start typing. 
4 Likes
Wasn’t you. But I’m glad your back. It’s honestly a great game if everyone can get past the footfall and plot hogging.
3 Likes
Just to let you guys know, it’s on to take a break. But most of us regulars. We are gonna be waiting for you with open arms.
4 Likes
The statistic you linked from 2018 is concurrent players on steam. The statistic he posted is an estimated number of players who log in at a any given point during the day. That’s not an apples to apples comparison.
In Sept-Oct 2018, there was an average of 350ish concurrent steam players. That is now down to averaging beneath 35 concurrent steam players as of this month, which is over a 90% decrease. Now, that doesn’t include Playstation, so I’d say realistically more like 70-80.
I’m not arguing that the game is “dead”, everyone can make their own determination, but just wanted to correct the statistics comparison there.
3 Likes
I feel like I’ve seen discussions about concurrent player numbers on Steam and/or PSN several dozen times in the past 3 years. It NEVER achieves anything because there’s too many unknown variables.
There is no valid conclusion to take from them either way.
All you can say is “DUH” as the game has not been updated in more than 10 months, so, obviously, there is some level of decline in player numbers. Is the game as alive as it was in 2018? Unlikely. Is it dead or dying? Hard to actually say. Is a bear dead when it hibernates?
4 Likes
I honestly dont understand why this game has so few players, everyday when i log in i find some new incredible and inspiring builds that someone has created and think that maybe someday someone else will see what ive created and think that way about mine. That feeling is what hooks me into boundless the most and i havent got that feeling from any other game.
3 Likes
agreed (though there will probably be several replies coming up from people who know exactly why 
)
I’ve tried to get back into old games or try new ones but there is something special about boundless that keeps me hooked.
5 Likes
From all the discussions over the years, I can make a few guesses in regards to why there’s so few players.
• Minimal level (if not “complete lack”) of marketing/online presence from devs on social media (Twitch, Youtube, Twitter, this forum).
• Retail price way too high, coupled with in-game store, makes them look a bit too greedy.
• No proper content added to the game in almost a year.
• Playerbase divided and arguing on this here forum, between some that are aggressively pessimistic (mea culpa), aggressively optimistic (to the point where some constantly dismiss/hide/censor/flag stuff they just don’t like). You can argue the devs barely speak on the forum anymore because of us all.
If/When the devs come back, I honestly think the only way for them to resurrect the game would be to :
• Vastly improve on their online presence, have a person who’s side-job is to do community managing, interact with us, support more the players who make Youtube/Twitch videos, make new trailers, make sure the game gets a lil’ bump on Steam & PSN to be noticed a little more.
• Turn the game into a Free-2-Play (or at least greatly reduce the retail price of the game), boost the production of in-game store content, and at the same time, finish making the promised features (Titans, Hunter, etc). I can already tell some people who hate Boundless becoming a F2P game, but at some point, you gotta realize it might be the only way for the game to survive. Of course I’d prefer getting new block textures for free, but if I gotta pay to get them, I think to myself that it’s for the good of the game.
• Better communication with the playerbase would greatly improve the level of discourse on the forum.
• A roadmap. Now, to clarify, a game that is properly updated and healthy doesn’t need a roadmap, but a game where the devs have been mostly silent for almost a year owe it to their players to have a roadmap. No promises, no dates, just “here is what we will do, and this roadmap is to make sure we hold ourselves to our objectives”.
5 Likes
I agree with pretty much everything you said but instead of a F2P model for the game i think that it should just be reduced in price and maybe offer a cosmetic style pass for the game like a upgraded gleam club that gets you a few cosmetics items a month that have a 1 year exclusivity to the pass before they are added to the permanent store.
I would also like to see armor sets in the game, even of its just cosmetic.
i ve posted also on reddit my vids i ve done past few days
next i ll make a twitter account starting to post all vid an screens i can find there
and 3rd making a facebook account to do the same there
will try to get as much attention to the game as possible
will send all my psn friends videos and pics from the game later when coming home in 12 hours ( over 300 in friend list )
some suggestions what i can do further ??
3 Likes
I honestly think you should wait before doing stuff like that. Wait until the devs are fully back on board themselves to actively try to bring in more players. Having new players buy Boundless and quickly discover the state of the game in regards to the devs ghosting the playerbase doesn’t seem like the best thing to do right now.
1 Like
One of the ways that Square make money, and thus keep the servers running, is from sales of the game. The more copies of the game sold, the likelier it survives.
1 Like
Yeah but I don’t see at all why it should be our job to make sure the game is bought, especially in the current situation. We should play it, enjoy what is there. If the devs/SE want the game to be sold, let them deal with the marketing. In absence of communication from James on that matter, I expect them to have a plan in motion, and us trying to “solve their marketing for them” could interfere with that plan. For all we know, the devs might actually want the game to be in some form of ‘hibernative’ state, right now. But you do you.
1 Like
They would withdraw it from sale if they didn’t want it to sell.
There’s a difference between the ‘natural’ sales occuring from what the devs and SE have put in place, and the sales caused by us making amateur marketing, though.
I mean, look at the PlayBoundless Twitter. I think it’s Leah who handles it, and she’s just retweeting players. I sort-of understand that. What can she say? “Come and be Boundless with us” and then people buy the game. That’s many players who could’ve expected a lively MMO full of people, and quickly come to the conclusion that Boundless is the video-game equivalent of an animal slowly dying of thirst in the desert, so they think “well that was a waste of my money”. First impressions are the only impressions.
But eh, whatever, if you guys think it’s a smart move to do their marketing job for them, and to bring in more players to Boundless while the devs have been MIA for almost a year, go right ahead.
1 Like
This has crossed my mind too, that it seems like they might be intentionally wanting to keep the player count low. Since Phil said that IIRC server costs scales with number of players, could be that if the count is small, BUT the ones playing are hardcore and spending money, perhaps it is more sustainable?
But, if on Twitter, give me a heads-up for a follow, I’ll retweet Boundless stuff.
1 Like
All I trully hope is that the devs are trying to get as much money from Larian as possible to kickstart a ‘second breath’ of sort for Boundless. Not sure why they completely avoid talking about their plans with us, though.
1 Like
Here’s the thing, the game is more fun with more players so if more people play the game is better.
I don’t really care at this point whether it’s better or worse for the Devs, because they’re busy working on something else and don’t play the game.
All sales are natural sales. If you don’t want to sell your product, remove it from market and close the servers.
I mean we’re talking about very small numbers in terms of reach. Even if every person that currently plays bought a copy of the game for a friend, it wouldn’t amount to such a surge in numbers that new planets would spawn, I reckon.
1 Like
Yeah but then you think to what Paka said… imagine if bringing more players actually increased the server costs for SE and actually pushed them closer to the idea of shutting the servers down… The best way for SE to make money is the cubit store, not the retail price of the game.
Again, you do you. I argue against it, but I won’t stop you. Couldn’t even if I wanted to.
You are right about the numbers, but I was pointing more to the fact that in 2018 some were already worried about the low population.
Yes steam shows statistics that may suggest that the game is almost dead I’m not saying otherwise and I thank you for clarifying that 
.
Let’s take into account the personal life of each of us, the time zone, the platforms where we play, the casual gamers, the people who take a break, those who are waiting for the next update, those who have bought and simply did’nt like the game.
Let’s look at the disastrous beginning of NMS, no sign of life from the devs for a long time, promises, lies, misleading description.
Many fans insulted the team, threats of all kinds, infamous critics, did the devs give up?
I agree with many of us , description and trailers on steam outdated this is for sure!
Don’t you think the devs have retreated to focus on more important things than the whining of disgruntled people?
You buy a house and show it to your friends who tell you it’s horrible, poorly designed. Would you have the same sympathy for them knowing what they think? Well you’ll tell them that’s all I could afford, but it still won’t change what they think right. Will this affect the rest of your life? I don’t think so, because this is your home, your choice, your life. Those of your friends who want to come with you will be welcome, those who don’t, will stay out.
My opinion? This is what they do and I understand perfectly , play it or leave.
1 Like