Despite Square Enix’s single-minded efforts, Babylon’s Fall does not seem to be headed for a bright future. The live service looter brawler from acclaimed studio PlatinumGames launched to a chorus of boos earlier this month, with a substantial portion of players’ and critics’ ire aimed at the game’s steep monetization pitch, paired with a full-price, pay-to-play model. To give potential fans a chance to decide before investing, Square Enix released a free demo of Babylon’s Fall on March 25, which lets players dip their toes into the first section of the game’s campaign. Since then, the free demo version of Babylon’s Fall has barely broken 30 concurrent players at its busiest point. It seems the price tag wasn’t the problem.
Meanwhile, the full-priced version of Babylon’s Fall has already lost most of its initial playerbase, peaking at around 300 concurrent players a month into its life. While there are certainly people who enjoy what it has to offer, Babylon’s Fall has largely alienated potential players not only through its monetization but also through its core design. Many negative reviews describe the gameplay loop as feeling mindless and repetitive, and the story and world as bland and unexciting. This type of non-retention does not bode well for an aspiring live service looter, and we are anxious to see if Square Enix doubles down on supporting Babylon’s Fall, or pulls the plug on future content after the promised Season 3 concludes.
