The First Descendant surges 167% on Xbox and Play Anywhere might be the secret weapon nobody’s talking about

The First Descendant, for those who may not be familiar, is a free to play third person looter shooter available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5. Last year, it ended support for its PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions.

Developed by Nexon, it is a co-op, MMO-style shooter in a similar vein to Warframe. Players team up to take on missions, farm loot, and build out different characters with unique abilities.

More recently, it joined Xbox Play Anywhere. That means your save data now syncs between Xbox Series X|S and the Xbox PC app version of the game, allowing seamless progression across both platforms.

As spotted by TrueAchievements, that update appears to have had a major impact, with the game seeing a reported 167% surge in Xbox players.

Could Xbox Play Anywhere be driving the surge in players?

The First Descendant | Unveiled Truth | Season 3 Episode 3 Update - YouTube

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Xbox Play Anywhere is Xbox’s service designed to bridge the gap between console and PC. It allows players to buy a game once and access it across console, PC, and cloud, with shared saves and achievements across platforms.

In simple terms, you can start a game on Xbox Series X|S, continue on PC through the Xbox app, or via cloud and keep all of your progress intact. It is one of the clearest examples of how Xbox is trying to unify its ecosystem, at least until the next generation, which is believed to be a Windows PC with an Xbox-like user interface.

Recently, The First Descendant joined Xbox Play Anywhere, as well as launching their latest update, Season 3, episode 3. That means players can now access the game across multiple devices while keeping the same profile and progression.

More importantly, its addition to Xbox Play Anywhere also placed it inside the Xbox PC app as a newly supported title. That visibility appears to have made a real difference, with the game surging by 167% on Xbox after showing up in front of PC users browsing new releases.

Not only that, players who have Xbox Game Pass also get some in-game benefits, including weapon skins, attachments, gold, and much more, which could have led to players who actively play the game to sign in via Xbox or the Xbox PC app.

Whether that spike is entirely down to Xbox Play Anywhere is still up for debate. However, its launch on the Xbox PC app has clearly driven renewed interest, and given that it is a solid looter shooter, the extra attention feels earned.

Do you think Xbox Play Anywhere is behind The First Descendant’s 167% surge, or is the latest update the real reason? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:

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