THE FINALS is failing to meet revenue and retention targets, and Nexon is trying to figure out why

In an earnings letter for Q1 2024, Nexon revealed that THE FINALS’ season two launch saw only a short-lived player count increase and delivered lower-than-expected retention and revenue.

For reasons unbeknown to Nexon, players simply aren’t interested in playing THE FINALS long-term, and the publisher is trying to figure out why. As stated by Nexon in its earnings report:

“The launch of [THE FINALS] Season 2 in March created a short-lived increase in player metrics but delivered lower-than-expected retention and revenue. The Embark team is working with our Korea-based Live Operations team to understand and address the key issues.”

Many other games also performed below expectations, including titles like FC Online, Dungeon & Fighter (in China), and MapleStory (in Korea). The only game that seemed to have performed successfully was Blue Archive, which enjoyed increased revenue during its third anniversary event.

Despite underperforming, Nexon is getting ready for THE FINALS season three and hopes to attract new players and bring existing ones back.

So, why is THE FINALS losing players? While we can only speculate, there are likely multiple reasons fans aren’t sticking around. When the game first launched, it was plagued with cheaters, there were matchmaking issues, and there was a huge skill gap problem that prevented many casual players from enjoying the game. Plus, despite its fully destructible environments, THE FINALS doesn’t offer anything too innovative that other team-based shooters don’t already have, especially compared to games like Overwatch 2. 

While Nexon is still working hard on its existing and upcoming games (like The First Descendant), only time will tell if THE FINALS will make a comeback.