Tesla Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk has praised the 'Path of Exile (POE) 2', which has been garnering significant attention among gaming fans worldwide and is enjoying a box office success since its initial launch.
According to the statistics site SteamDB for the PC gaming platform Steam, POE 2 recorded a peak concurrent user count of 579,000 immediately after its launch on the 7th, creating a buzz. The number of concurrent users in the past 24 hours was 415,000, placing it 5th in global rankings.
Elon Musk, known as a gaming enthusiast, also revealed on his X (formerly Twitter) that he was playing POE 2. He noted, "I enjoyed POE 2 even on a plane through Starlink," sharing a 2-minute gameplay video that expressed his satisfaction with the game. He remarked that "Starlink is so excellent it allows real-time gaming even in the sky," praising both the technology and the game.
Users are showering favorable reviews on POE 2's core elements, such as its emphasis on tactile control and difficulty design that stimulates the desire for challenge. Additionally, the developer Grinding Gear Games (GGG) based in New Zealand has quickly reflected user feedback after the launch, making improvements for convenience and balance adjustments, receiving positive evaluations through active communication.
Kakao Games secured the domestic PC platform publishing rights for the sequel POE 2 by signing a publishing contract with GGG, following the previous work POE. The success of the game has also impacted Kakao Games' stock price. The stock closed at 17,290 won on the first trading day after the launch on the 9th and subsequently rose for four consecutive trading days, reaching 20,900 won on the 13th.
On the other hand, Blizzard's competing title 'Diablo 4' has shown a decline in concurrent users on Steam since the launch of its first expansion pack in October. The concurrent user count, which recorded 56,000 immediately after the expansion pack launch, has turned to a decline following the release of POE 2, dropping below 10,000 this month. Compared to POE 2’s success, Diablo 4's popularity appears somewhat stalled.