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HUNGER playtest hits 16,000 concurrent players with persistent progression twist

Simon Ellis 0 comments 2 min read

HUNGER's Steam Next Fest playtest attracts 16,000 concurrent players by allowing persistent character progression in an extraction RPG setting.

GOOD FUN CORPORATION HUNGER
GAMES

Extraction based games tend to be rough on the player, where failure results in everything lost. But now there is a new spin on this game for players looking to grow for the long term. Currently, HUNGER has a playtest running during Next Fest allowing players to retain their character's experience on death.

Steam Next Fest demo retains player experience after death

This change is significant, as it eliminates the annoyance of having to start over completely after each raid. It's easy to see why there are over 16,000 concurrent players viewing the Steam store page right now.

HUNGER is the creation of GOOD FUN CORPORATION and is an extraction based RPG set in dark Napoleonic Europe. It revolves around a monster threat centered around a plague which makes up the core gameplay loop. It differs from the usual extraction shooter games by making it a persistent character progression experience as opposed to a run based one. This makes it possible for the player to have a long term character identity in-game.

The game has a player based marketplace for trading goods and player crafted professions to make gear. There are also plans for endgame content like dungeons and bosses in the future. All of this aims towards the long term progression gameplay. The development team is aiming to release into Early Access later in 2026 after refining these systems.

Based on the feedback from this current playtest there are some areas that need improvement. Players are pointing out issues such as slow movement and gameplay systems needing balance adjustment. There seems to also be the issue of inconsistent performance which is a concern for some players. It's clear that there are still many areas needing improvement before this game hits official release.

Right now players can join in on the playtest for HUNGER on Steam. With such a high concurrent player count it's evident that people are interested in this new type of extraction RPG experience. GOOD FUN CORPORATION is taking all this player feedback into consideration to improve the game before 2026's release. You can jump in right now to experience the core loop and give the persistent character progression systems a try.

Source: NotebookCheck

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