How a single update breathed new life into Lords of the Fallen

A Soulslike on the brink of failure - saved by a single update!

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Sometimes all it takes is a single patch to make an almost forgotten game shine in new splendour.
What sounds almost too good to be true became reality for Lords of the Fallen.

The ambitious Soulslike from the year 2023 was already considered a failure: the number of players on Steam had collapsed and interest from the community had all but died out.

But then came Update 2.0 - and with it a wave of innovations that fundamentally changed the game.

The fall of a beacon of hope

Lords of the Fallen was launched with high expectations when it was released in 2023. However, as a dark action RPG with clear references to Dark Souls and Elden Ring, it also brought its own exciting idea to the genre with the Umbral world.

The start was promising: over 43,000 simultaneous players on Steam, solid sales figures - but the euphoria didn't last long.
Technical weaknesses, a lack of fine-tuning and immature co-op elements frustrated many players. As a result, the community turned away and the number of active users fell rapidly - most recently to less than 500.
Lords of the Fallen was in danger of disappearing into oblivion.

The update that changed everything - version 2.0

The turning point came on 17 April 2025: with Update 2.0, the development team released far more than just a patch - it was a complete rework.

The makers had obviously listened to the feedback from the fans - and reworked the game in key areas.
The most important innovations include:

• Co-op with shared progress: Players can finally experience the entire campaign together - including synchronised progress, shared loot and the option to revive each other.
• Friend’s Pass: Only one player needs to own the game - the co-op partner can play for free and keeps their progress.
• Improved gameplay: Faster movement speed, smoother animations, a direct jump button - the combat system has been significantly upgraded.
• Further improvements: New interface, more comprehensible tutorials, a revised navigation system using the umbral lamp and an improved character editor.
  
  

A comeback in figures

The effect was not long in coming: Within a few days, the number of players on Steam soared from under 500 to over 11,000 simultaneous users.

Lords of the Fallen made it back into the top seller list - and the ratings were also increasingly positive.
The game was back - not only technically, but also in the heart of its community.

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A thank you from the development team

CI Games CEO Marek Tymiński personally addressed the gaming community shortly after the update:
„10,000 concurrent players, 18 months after release. Just a week ago there were 500, which means a lot to us. Thank you to everyone who believed in us.“

An honest moment that shows: This comeback was not a PR stunt - but the result of hard work and genuine passion.

 (Image source: Ubisoft)