Warframe — The Success of Digital Extremes’ Hit and How It is Shaping the Future of the Gaming Industry
When the PlayStation 4 launched five years ago, early adopters had some quality games to break in their new console. Titles like Killzone: Shadow Fall, Knack and Resogun were all shining examples of the power of the PlayStation 4 and the greatness that awaited the future of the console. Among the games that were released traditionally, a few free-to-play games debuted on launch day as well. Blacklight: Retribution launched in beta and was received as a mid-tier generic shooter, giving those who might have been short on funds from their recent console purchase something to play while those funds were built back up. Warframe, on the other hand, was something of a different beast.
Digital Extremes’ Warframe proved out of the gate that the team wasn’t there to provide an interim experience while other developers created “real” experiences for new-generation hardware. Entering beta on PC earlier that spring, this new project had a beautiful look, tight controls, a variety of weapons and — most importantly — nearly limitless potential. The grind of Warframe appealed to many right out of the gate, drawing players in on both the PS4 and PC before launching on Xbox One nearly a year later. Although Warframe wasn’t necessarily in the limelight of the gaming industry, it definitely was beginning to make waves and generate a large following. Then Bungie released Destiny. That changed things.
The original Destiny released with ferocity, marrying the grind of an MMO with the best qualities of Bungie’s Halo. Gamers were immediately enthralled and Destiny would go on to become one of the most beloved games of the entire console generation. All the while, Warframe continued to survive. Although official console player count figures are unavailable, official Steam Charts reveal that there was nearly a five percent drop in players in September 2014. That slight slump in the wake of Destiny’s launch was not permanent by any means. By the end of 2014, the Steam player counts ballooned by nearly 2500%, proving that even Bungie’s big release couldn’t stop the team at Digital Extremes from carving themselves a niche and becoming a foundational part of this new “looter-shooter” branch of the FPS genre.
Earlier this year the Plains of Eidolon update brought a slew of statistics as well, showing that Warframe had over 38 million registered accounts under its belt after five years on the market in comparison to the first year’s 332,631. Just a few weeks later, Digital Extremes chose the Nintendo Direct to reveal that their worldwide hit is coming to the Nintendo Switch — a record-breaking console with an install base of over 20 million units after just over one year on the market.
Now, in November 2018, Warframe’s Fortuna update has launched. This new update brings players to Venus, introducing a new hub and fundamental changes to the game overall. The massive new update has piqued enough interest in the player base that a new concurrent PC player count record of 132K was set just days after launch.
This is the perfect time to mention that every version of the game has been and will be free to play. There are in-game currencies that can be purchased to speed up the grind, but every single part of the game can be unlocked, earned, or accessed by simply playing the game. As it has continued to grow and evolve, Warframe has emerged as a perfect example of why not all free-to-play games are low-quality cash grab gimmicks. Digital Extremes has put in the effort not only to build a substantial following around their game (over 40K viewers tuned in to watch a developer finish the Fortuna update), but also to flesh out their game world and create a universe that people can deeply engage with and become invested in. With the launch of Warframe on the Nintendo Switch coming November 20th, it’s safe to assume that the developers will have another hit on their hands. Few games with the depth of Warframe are available on Nintendo’s hybrid handheld, but that isn’t stopping Digital Extremes from proving that with quality optimization any platform is capable of delivering a deep and fulfilling free-to-play experience.
Looking toward the future, will Warframe be able to survive the cross-generational jump that so many franchises fall victim to? It certainly has the potential to. With an ever-evolving universe, the only limit to Warframe is the creativity of the developers themselves. As a game that is accessible, engaging and affordable, Digital Extremes is setting Warframe up to be an omnipresent entity in the gaming industry for generations to come.
