'Hellblade 2' Launches As The 23rd Most-Played Xbox Game, What Does That Mean?

'Hellblade 2,' despite being one of Xbox's major exclusives this year, debuted at 23rd on the Most Played Xbox games list, indicating a lukewarm reception in terms of player numbers. The game, which is relatively short at 6-8 hours, also saw modest Steam numbers at launch, peaking at 3,982 players. This performance raises questions about its success metrics, especially in the context of recent studio closures and the evolving dynamics of Game Pass and player engagement metrics.

The two primary metrics used to assess the performance of Xbox games, including Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, are:

1. Top 50 Most Played Xbox games list: This list is updated every few days on a bit of a delay, and it is based on hours played. Hellblade 2 debuted on this list in 23rd place, despite its inclusion in Xbox Game Pass.

2. Steam numbers: This metric indicates interest for the game outside of the Xbox Game Pass ecosystem. Hellblade 2 peaked at 3,982 players at launch on Steam.

These metrics provide insight into the game's performance in terms of total players and hours played. However, it is important to note that we do not have full access to the data, and Microsoft may have its own internal metrics for measuring success.