No, Neverwinter and Star Trek Online Aren’t Shutting Down Anytime Soon

With the recent news of Cryptic Studios’ transition to DECA Games, there has been quite a bit of concern within the Neverwinter and Star Trek Online communities. Despite layoffs and the restructuring of Cryptic, both games are likely far from shutting down.

The move comes after Embracer Group, which acquired Cryptic Studios, faced significant financial difficulties following a failed $2 billion deal. As part of their cost-cutting measures, Embracer Group decided to downsize Cryptic Studios to a minimal staff, with DECA Games taking over the management of three games: Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, and Champions Online.

Reports indicate that the transition has led to widespread layoffs at Cryptic Studios, leaving behind only a few team leaders and key staff who have been retained or rehired by DECA. Several developers have publicly discussed the layoffs, which will take effect at the end of October. Character artist Amelia March expressed her sadness at leaving Cryptic, where she worked for six years, and highlighted the incredible people she worked with. Similarly, Mauricio Tejerina, who has been with Cryptic for ten years, shared his hope that all affected employees find new opportunities, emphasizing that they are not responsible for the outcome of these layoffs.

DECA Games has already started hiring for new community managers and development staff, signaling their intent to continue supporting and developing these titles. Even with a reduced team, the games are expected to maintain operations and provide new content, although potentially at a slower pace.

DECA Games Hiring New Talent

As seen on their website, DECA Games is actively hiring new talent to support the continued development of Neverwinter and Star Trek Online. DECA is currently looking for Character and Environment Artists, QA Testers, Data Analysts, Marketing Artists, UI/UX Artists, VFX Artists, and a Senior System Designer with experience from working with MMOs. One of the most interesting positions currently open is for a Starship Artist, which is guaranteed to be working on Star Trek Online as one of the responsibilities is to “Create visually stunning and detailed models of star ships from a well-known IP.”.

Population Trends

Neverwinter’s player base on Steam has experienced fluctuations over the past few years, but the game has maintained a stable core of players. According to recent Steam Charts data, the average number of players in the last 30 days was 663, with a peak of 1,205 players. While there has been a slight decline in player numbers, this is typical of a game that has been running for over a decade. Steam numbers have been pretty consistent over the last year.

It is important to note that the Steam Charts numbers only represent a portion of Neverwinter’s player base, as the majority of players do not use Steam. Many players access the game through the Arc launcher or on consoles, which are not accounted for in Steam statistics. The player population on consoles, in particular, contributes significantly to the overall health of the game.

Despite fluctuations, the population of Neverwinter has remained relatively steady over the past year. While there have been some gains and losses in average player counts, the overall trend has been one of stability, especially considering the challenges faced by the development team.

In-game it is easy to tell that the game still has a decent population. In Neverwinter, each instance of a zone can hold up to 20 players, which means that sometimes players need to switch between instances to find friends or join specific groups. The in-game menu allows players to switch instances, and it is common to see popular zones with anywhere from 10 to 50 instances available, each holding 20 players. This shows the active nature of the community, even if the numbers aren’t fully reflected in the Steam data.

Star Trek Online has also maintained a relatively stable player population, even more so than Neverwinter. According to recent Steam Charts data, the average number of players in the last 30 days was 996, with a peak of 1,779 players. The stability of Star Trek Online’s player base is notable given the age of the game and the challenges faced by its development team.

The peak player count has remained consistent, with numbers often reaching between 1,500 and 2,000 players during peak times. The game has experienced small fluctuations, but overall, the player base has shown resilience, particularly during major content updates.

Like Neverwinter, the Steam Charts data only represents a portion of Star Trek Online’s player population. Many players access the game through the Arc launcher or on consoles.

When comparing Neverwinter and Star Trek Online’s player numbers to other well-known MMOs, it becomes evident that the games are holding their own despite having smaller development teams.

For instance, New World, developed by Amazon with a considerably larger team and more resources, had an average of 4,747 players in the last 30 days with a peak of 8,711 players. Although New World has a larger player base, it also benefits from Amazon’s extensive support and marketing efforts. Another interesting fact is that New World is ONLY available on Steam for PC players, so by combining the Steam numbers for Neverwinter or Star Trek Online with the numbers from the Arc Launcher, we might not be that far off in terms of player numbers. The cost of running New World is also considerably larger.

EVE Online is another interesting comparison. Despite being over 20 years old, EVE Online has maintained a stable player base and continues to generate significant revenue. In the last 30 days, EVE Online averaged 3,006 players with a peak of 4,707.

The Lord of the Rings Online is a similar case, with an average of 1,053 players in the last 30 days and a peak of 2,059. This is comparable to the player numbers of Neverwinter and Star Trek Online, and LOTRO is still considered a somewhat popular MMO.

Other MMOs like EverQuest and DC Universe Online have significantly lower player numbers compared to Neverwinter and Star Trek Online. EverQuest, one of the oldest MMOs, averaged 282 players in the last 30 days with a peak of 572, while DC Universe Online averaged 362 players with a peak of 684.

As it stands, both Neverwinter and Star Trek Online are here to stay for now. The transition to DECA Games may come with challenges, but the games continue to operate without any plans for closure.