Nexon Games’ new free-to-play heist, The First Descendant, is launching quite successfully. Less than 24 hours after release, it’s already at number 6 on Steam’s top 100 games list, with over 225,000 players currently online at the time of writing.
The third-person co-op gameplay sees players take on the role of Descendants, who are special warriors who inherit unique powers that aid them in their battles against the Vulgus. The Vulgus are a race of hostile alien enemies who work to destroy Ingris, the fictional world in which the game takes place.
“Next, from everyone on our development team, we sincerely thank you for choosing to join us in the fight against Vulgus,” creative director Minseok Joo said in a recent press release. “When we first developed this concept in 2019, we set out to create a world inspired by some of our personal favorite shooters. The genre holds a special place in our hearts, and our development team has worked hard to created a game that we believe stands proudly among those standout titles.”
“With The First Descendant being our first global multi-platform release, we wanted to develop something that allowed our players’ voices to be heard,” added producer Beomjun Lee. “Our goal is not only to create a game we’re proud of, but also to create something our players will love and enjoy for a long time. We’ve implemented many changes for launch based on community requests and we hope this makes the experience even more enjoyable.”
The game’s pre-season launch period has introduced a battle pass that includes three new playable Descendants: Esiemo, Enzo and Yujin. The aftermath of the battle also gives players access to new weapons, Void Intercept Battles and Instance Dungeons, along with other exclusive content.
Looking to the future, Nexon Games has announced plans to update the game five weeks after launch, though it’s not immediately clear what that update will include. A second update, Season 1 Episode: Invasion, will arrive sometime in August and will feature a new Descendant, new Colossus, a new dungeon, and a new weapon. According to Nexon, Season 1 Episode: Invasion will also dive deeper into the story of a “fan-favorite Succession.”
The First Descendant is currently available for free on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. For more information on Descendants, weapons and the new battle pass, check out the game’s official website.