Open world action RPG Where Winds Meet tops 2 million players in its first weekend, with a concurrent peak of 190,000 on Steam alone as it rakes in Very Positive reviews

Where Winds Meet, an open-world RPG published by NetEase, has surpassed expectations by attracting more than 2 million players in its first day of release, including 190,000 concurrent players on Steam alone. The free-to-play game has also been released for PS5, meaning that the player count is higher even than what is being reported.

Chinese-developed games, and in particular games based on Chinese history and mythology, are becoming increasingly popular in the West. Black Myth: Wukong was one of the most popular games to be released last year, and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers impressed players with its take on the soulslike formula combined with figures from ancient China.

Where Winds Meet, meanwhile, has almost 9,000 reviews on Steam, and it boasts a 'Very Positive' review ratio. In particular, it's praised for its gorgeous open world, which feels more like a premium title than a free-to-play game. Players on Steam are also saying that the story of the single-player campaign is particularly engaging, and that its complex systems have a lot of potential. However, others think that it is overwhelming when you are starting out.

One feature of Where Winds Meet is not so popular. Some NPCs in the game are AI-powered chatbots that some have called "horrifying." One player was so put off by them that they said they turned the game off. Where Winds Meet is very clear which NPCs are AI, but people are still put off by how it spoils immersion.

Where Winds Meet is impressive so far, but only time will tell if it has longevity.

I played Where Winds Meet and fell in love with the RPG's open world so fast I could barely pay attention to any of the missions