EA’s New Multiplayer Game Rocket Arena Is a Total Failure

• EA’s new multiplayer game, Rocket Arena, seems to be a failure just two weeks after release.
• The publisher discounts the game by 75% in an effort to get more gamers to buy it.
• SteamDB data also confirms that Rocket Arena has a pitiful number of active players.

While rival publishers like Ubisoft have found success with Hyper Scape, EA’s own new multiplayer release seems to have been a huge failure. Just two weeks after launching explosive arena shooter Rocket Arena, the game has been put on sale.

EA Discounts Rocket Arena Two Weeks After Release

The game remains at full price on Steam but on EA’s own storefront, Origin, Rocket Arena has been heavily discounted.

The Rocket Arena Standard Edition, which only comes with the game, is 83% off. The Rocket Arena Mythic Edition, which features multiple “Mythic” cosmetics and the game’s premium currency, Rocket Fuel, is now 75% cheaper.

The stunning discount is not the only suggestion that Rocket Arena hasn’t set the gaming world alight. Data from SteamDB reveal that the game has had a peak of just 142 concurrent players in the last 24 hours. Its peak concurrent players were 913 and that was on July 14, the day that the game was released.

Rocket Arena does not appear to be a bad game. Its core gameplay, of acrobatic and explosive gunplay, is fun, though not groundbreaking. Its heroes and abilities are also not unlike Overwatch, Paladins, or the dozens of other hero shooters that have been released over the last five years.

Rocket Arena Failure Is Likely Because It’s Not Free to Play

The problem seems to be that EA decided to charge for the game. Rocket Arena is a new IP from EA, a publisher known more for its sports sims and traditional multiplayer modes than it is for any standalone multiplayer titles. This is what made EA free to play shooter Apex Legends so compelling when that launched in early 2019.

EA’s relative lack of a track record in this space, combined with the premium price, have contributed to an unsuccessful title. This is also why just two weeks after release, Rocket Arena is now available for peanuts compared to its launch price.

Without players, Rocket Arena won’t be available for much longer. The game is salvageable, though, and by making the new multiplayer title free to play, it may just be able to go somewhere.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.

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