New Xbox game flops on Steam despite good reviews

The latest project from Microsoft subsidiary Double Fine Productions, the surreal exploration game Keeper is struggling to get out of the starting gate, with fewer than 200 active players on Steam just one day after launch. Despite relatively positive reviews across the board, with many applauding its gorgeous visuals and surreal world-building, Keeper has seemingly yet to capture the attention of the general public.

Keeper sees players take on the role of a sentient beacon, guided by an adorable bird friend, as they embark on an adventure of discovery through a vibrant post-apocalyptic world. Many early reviews have appreciated the curious companionship between the two main characters and the unspoken central story of Keeper. However, the game may be a little too out-of-the-box for the average player, with early interest falling short of expectations.

Keeper Steam players count

According to analysis from SteamDB, Keeper has only managed to reach a peak concurrent player of 191 users on Steam, at the time of writing. For a game published directly by Xbox Game Studios, this figure is catching early from the public, who are now questioning why player numbers are so low despite positive reviews. Some have pointed to recently released games such as Ghost of Yotei and Battlefield 6 as having potentially stolen the limelight from the simpler beacon's walking sim, and others have questioned whether Keeper should have received more official promotion from Xbox to draw attention to the quaint title.

So-called walking simulators often have a smaller reach among gamers, although notable games such as What Remains of Edith Finch and The Stanley Parable managed to cement a legacy for themselves with heartfelt storytelling and surreal humor. While player counts aren't necessarily the be all, end all for games, they can greatly influence any future releases from the same team and whether projects under similar genres will be approved by the publisher. It remains to be seen if the limited positive reviews for Keeper will help boost word-of-mouth interest, though select fans are hoping for increased support for the unknown game.

The sheer volume of games releasing in 2025 has already led to some studios choosing to delay their projects until 2026, and more than a few titles have been lost in the near-constant wave of launches. Despite remarkable charm and sincere support from select players, it seems Keeper has simply struggled to make much of an impact early on, though it's unknown if this will change over time.