The Finals Season 7 Triggers Massive Player Comeback
After months of languishing, Embark Studios’ arena-based FPS, The Finals, has exploded back onto the scene following the launch of Season 7. Once assumed to be one of the smaller titles being buried under heavyweights like Call of Duty and Valorant, the numbers now indicate the game has seen a 130% increase in its concurrent player count from Steam alone (based on both SteamCharts and ActivePlayer data). In this article, we will examine what resulted in this change to the game and if this moment can be considered a watershed moment for the title.
How the Game Barely Struggled despite Concepts
When The Finals was released (2023), the game had an amazing amount of selling points: destructible environments, dynamic arenas, a game-show motif, etc. Players and critics praised the game’s ideas, and lots of early players really liked the game’s visual feel and the mechanics it had to offer. By mid-2024, very few players were engaged in The Finals. With performance issues, limited content updates, bugs in the matchmaking, and a poorly implemented progression system, things did not run smoothly for early adopters. In a crowded market of fast-paced shooters, ideas alone could not keep players around.
The Overhaul of Season 7
Season 7 made big changes, addressing many long-held issues from the community. Here are the key highlights:
- A new 5v5 Payload Rush mode that is more team-based and strategic.
- Expanded maps with increased verticality and built improvements for more destructibility.
- They reworked class abilities and were more equitable in the weapon pool, which created a more competitive and balanced gameplay experience.
- Had an updated battle pass system, which decreased the grind and increased rewards for free players
Overall, these changes demonstrate Embark Studios is seemingly aiming toward community-first principles that focus on long-term player engagement instead of monetizing them.
Influencers Driven Player Engagement
In addition to the significant technical and gameplay remediation, the marketing approach for Season 7 strengthened the ability to connect with players by leveraging well-connected gaming influencers on Twitch/YouTube. Streamers such as ValkyrieAim, T90Nova, and GrappleKing featured sponsored live-streamed play that showcased the game to more players on those platforms.
According to TwitchMetrics, The Finals climbed into the top 10 most-viewed games on Twitch during the first weekend of Season 7, a massive leap compared to prior seasons. This visibility converted passive viewers into new players and drew back lapsed veterans who had previously uninstalled the game.
The Limited Comeback Context for the Resurgence.
The success of The Finals is not without precedent. Other games like Rainbow Six Siege, No Man’s Sky, and Warframe are other marginal launch titles that improved over time due to more frequent content updates and developer transparency. The difference in this case, however, is simply timing; Siege took almost two years for a measure of stability, and there was a much shorter window for The Finals to use their rapid course correction, implying the industry is changing in the direction of quicker post-launch course correction.
A better comparison is Splitgate, a shooter that gained popularity partly due to viral attention. Splitgate waned in player engagement due to an inability for the developers to keep up with the game’s speed and content pipeline. However, Embarc Studios seems like it has enough support from Nexon to ally themselves from a similar fate.
With the data, we can take a closer look at whether this is a notable success or significant spike. The numbers look good (though SteamCharts does suggest a steep upward spike), but while this is positive momentum, measuring success is all about user retention. We will need to have metrics for average match length, active monthly users, and microtransaction performance in the next two quarters to gain a better understanding of the success trajectory.
Most of the new interest appears to have come from PC players. Crossplay and cross-progression issues are erratic between consoles, and the game’s presence on cloud platforms such as GeForce NOW or Xbox Cloud Gaming is limited, which are all inhibiting growth.
Why Gamers and Studios Are Watching This Closely
The sudden popularity of The Finals could influence how developers handle underperforming live-service games. A few potential implications include:
- Revamped monetization strategies: The more generous Season 7 battle pass sets a new bar for balancing free and premium content.
- More transparent development cycles: Embark Studios’ use of open community updates and in-game feedback loops may become industry standard.
- Increased attention to post-launch lifecycles: Publishers might now be more hesitant to abandon a struggling title early.
If these trends hold, other mid-tier or “AA” FPS titles might also find room to flourish—even in a market long believed to be dominated by mega-franchises.
Can This Momentum Be Sustained?
There are challenges ahead. Maintaining regular content updates, expanding competitive features (like ranked mode and esports integration), and strengthening server performance across regions will be crucial. Inconsistent crossplay and delayed controller optimization still plague some console users. Embark Studios must also ensure its anti-cheat systems scale with the growing player base to maintain integrity.
Furthermore, with major FPS titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War and Valorant Mobile expected later in 2025, The Finals face stiff competition.
A Resurgence Rooted in Reform
The Finals have defied expectations with its Season 7 revival, driven by meaningful design reforms, performance upgrades, and savvy marketing. This comeback highlights how timely, player-centric updates can reignite interest, even in a saturated genre. It also signals that in today’s digital gaming ecosystem, no title is ever truly “dead”—provided developers are willing to adapt and listen.
The coming months will determine whether The Finals cements its place as a lasting fixture in the FPS scene or if it fades once more into the background. But for now, it stands as one of 2025’s most compelling turnaround stories in gaming.
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