A New PC Game Challenges Genshin Impact’s Dominance
A brand-new PC game that is now free on Steam could potentially pose a serious challenge to the long-standing success of Genshin Impact. Since its release five years ago, Genshin Impact has maintained a massive player base and a loyal fan following around the globe. With several major updates and new characters confirmed for the upcoming Nod-Krai region, it seems poised for continued growth.
However, the gaming landscape is evolving, and a new gacha game called Umamusume: Pretty Derby is making waves. While the two games differ significantly in gameplay, there is an interesting connection worth exploring. Although I’m not entirely serious when suggesting that Umamusume could replace Genshin Impact, the potential for it to carve out a significant space in the market is real.
The Rise of Umamusume: Pretty Derby
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a free-to-play gacha game where players collect anime-style horse girls. These characters are reincarnated from real-life racehorses, each with their own unique names and temperaments. They attend Tracen Academy and compete in foot races for honor and glory.
The game first gained popularity in Japan in 2021, but it wasn’t until its international release in June that it truly took off. Its rise to fame was fueled by an anime series tied to the game, which helped introduce it to a wider audience. Popular streamers also played a key role in bringing Umamusume into the spotlight. Earlier this year, the game even partnered with the real-life Kentucky Derby, showcasing its growing influence.
Positive Reviews and Growing Popularity
As of early July, Umamusume had over 8,000 reviews on Steam, with an overwhelmingly positive consensus. This number has since increased to over 14,000, although the review score has slightly dropped to “Very Positive.” Despite this, the game continues to receive praise for its high production quality, deep strategic gameplay, and overall enjoyability, even as a free-to-play title.
One of the reasons for its success is the generous giveaways during its early days, which allowed many players to build impressive stables filled with high-rarity racers. However, both games face similar criticisms regarding monetization and microtransactions. Still, Umamusume has managed to maintain a more positive audience score compared to Genshin Impact.
Comparing Umamusume and Genshin Impact
While Genshin Impact isn’t available on Steam, its Metacritic score stands at 5.0, whereas Umamusume currently holds an 8.6 user score. Although Umamusume has only three critical reviews, averaging them would result in a score of 81, matching Genshin Impact’s current rating. This suggests that Umamusume is performing exceptionally well in terms of user reception.
Despite its early success, it’s still too soon to determine how long Umamusume will maintain its high ratings. The game is new, fresh, and trendy, which has led to unusually high player counts. However, these numbers are likely to decrease over time as the initial hype fades.
Future Outlook for Both Games
In the long run, both games are expected to find their own niches. Umamusume will appeal to players who enjoy complex sports management simulations with a humorous twist, while Genshin Impact will continue to attract fans of expansive open-world RPGs.
Although Genshin Impact has a broader appeal due to its similarities with popular titles like Breath of the Wild, Umamusume has carved out a unique space in the market. With four years of content from the Japanese version ready for the Western release, Umamusume has a strong foundation to sustain its popularity. For now, it remains one of the most distinctive and well-received PC games in recent memory.