Phoenix Labs’ free-to-play action-RPG Dauntless passed 4 million players across all platforms. In its first 24-hours after being released from beta, Dauntless added half a million players to its already impressive base of 3 million. The cross-platform play and zero-dollar price tag no doubt added to the game’s already strong appeal to players.
Dauntless was released from beta on May 21. What makes Dauntless unique is its “One Dauntless” concept, making the game cross-playable between PC and every other platform. If you’re a PC gamer and your friend is on a console, that’s no issue thanks to One Dauntless. As of now, Dauntless is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and both Nintendo Switch and mobile releases are expected soon. The additional versions will only bolster the rapidly-growing player base.
In Dauntless, players team up to liberate the Shattered Isles from an invasion of ravenous monsters. The monsters are hungry for the aether that keeps the magical isles aloft, and it is up to the players to save the world from complete destruction. After teaming up in hunting parties of four people, players take the fight to the monsters to push back the potential world-ending disaster. Players can go in with friends or find others online across the world to hunt with. By slaying the behemoths, players can salvage parts to customize their looks and loadouts to stand out from the other Slayers.
The Dauntless launch was so popular that players were sometimes told they had to wait three hours before getting online. This seemed in part due to a matchmaking progress bug, which Phoenix Labs had identified and was working on. The team is working on a one-in-one-out system to help with the rapidly-growing player base and has already doubled the number of players that can play at once. It’s safe to say the launch was an overwhelming success.
