In an industry increasingly defined by agenda-driven design and tone-deaf development, CI Games is breaking the mold—and it’s paying off in a big way. With the launch of Version 2.0 on April 17, Lords of the Fallen has achieved what few would have predicted: a stunning resurgence that’s propelled the game into Steam’s Top 10 Global Best Sellers, 18 months after release.
Originally launched in 2023 as a AA dark fantasy RPG, Lords of the Fallen saw a massive player spike in the last week, climbing from around 500 concurrent players to over 10,000 on Steam. The catalyst? A complete overhaul of the game based on player feedback—spearheaded by CI Games CEO Marek Tymiński.
10k concurrent players, 18 months after launch. Just a week ago, it was around 500. This means the world to us. Thank you to everyone who believed, supported, and stuck with us. We’ll never stop showing up for you — always. pic.twitter.com/AZ8vVm1Ei7
— Marek Tyminski (@tyminski_marek) April 20, 2025
“10k concurrent players, 18 months after launch. Just a week ago, it was around 500,” Tymiński posted to X. “This means the world to us. Thank you to everyone who believed, supported, and stuck with us. We’ll never stop showing up for you — always.”
That kind of authenticity and responsiveness is rare in modern gaming. And gamers are rewarding it.
Earlier this year, CI Games conducted a major community poll asking players whether they preferred traditional gendered character creation (Male/Female) or the newer “Body Type A/B” system the game launched with in 2023. The results were overwhelming: 88% favored Male/Female. Tymiński promised to respect the results—and he delivered, retroactively updating Lords of the Fallen back in January to remove the original system and revert to traditional gender options.
With over 49K votes, 88% of you said you prefer “male/female” choice. As a player-first studio, we will update Lords of the Fallen (2023) and future titles in the series accordingly. Stay Tuned. https://t.co/L6MgMk7Ada
— Marek Tyminski (@tyminski_marek) January 15, 2025
Shortly after, another poll asked if lead video game characters should be “widely considered attractive or aspirational.” Once again, the results were decisive: 84.4% said yes. CI Games responded with improvements to its character creator, enhancing the visual appeal and aspirational design of characters going forward.
These weren’t hollow promises. The recent 2.0 update—branded the definitive edition of the game—introduced sweeping enhancements: smoother combat, shared-progression crossplay co-op, UI and HUD improvements, a new in-game guidebook, a dedicated jump button, and a Free Friend’s Pass allowing users to invite friends to play without owning the game.
A screenshot from the trailer for Lords of The Fallen – YouTube, Gamespot
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While larger studios lean into identity-first marketing and corporate jargon, CI Games is listening to the actual target audience—and it’s working.
Just look at the comparisons:
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a AAAA mega-release backed by a massive budget, is pulling 12,000 to 14,000 concurrent players on Steam just a month after release.
The Steam concurrent player count for Dragon Age: The Veilguard as of April 21, 2025 – Steam
Dragon Age: The Veilguard peaked at just over 2,000 players in the last 24 hours, despite releasing at the end of October and being part of one of gaming’s most iconic RPG franchises.
Meanwhile, Lords of the Fallen, a AA title from a mid-sized studio, is sitting comfortably at 10,000+ players and climbing the global sales charts.
The entire woke movement wants this game to fail & die because it’s giving players what they want & it’s glorious.
Lords of the Fallen 2.0 has done the impossible & reached the top ten Global Steam Best Sellers list almost 2 years after release!https://t.co/Yl2Y6WWbKd
— Endymion (@EndymionYT) April 20, 2025
YouTuber Endymion didn’t mince words.
“The entire woke movement wants this game to fail and die because it’s giving players what they want and it’s glorious,” he said. “Lords of the Fallen 2.0 has done the impossible and reached the Top 10 Global Steam Best Sellers list almost two years after release!”
Former World of Warcraft team lead Mark Kern (Grummz) echoed the sentiment.
“Two year old AA game, Lords of the Fallen, breaks 10k players today,” he said. “Freshly launched AAAA game AC Shadows with hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing and dev sits at just 13,000. This is the power of listening to gamers’ feedback.”
2 year old AA game, Lords of the Fallen, breaks 10k players today.
Freshly launched AAAA game AC shadows with hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing and dev sits at just 13,000.
This is the power of listening to gamers feedback. pic.twitter.com/HHCXgk0YM2
— Grummz (@Grummz) April 20, 2025
Tymiński himself, following his removal from the original r/LordsoftheFallen subreddit over his public support of “gamers first,” responded with confidence.
“Truth ALWAYS wins in the end. Trust is built through authenticity and transparency, not by shifting narratives. Players First!”
CI Games has since launched a new, officially supported subreddit—r/TheLordsOfTheFallen—where the community is thriving. Banned users from the previous subreddit have flocked to the new space, grateful for a place to share feedback and enthusiasm without political gatekeeping.
CI Games CEO Marek Tyminski comments on being banned from the Lords of The Fallen subreddit – X, @tyminski_marek
One user, Caveman1982, said: “I was banned from the other subreddit for daring to have an opinion about the state of the other subreddit and what the overwhelming majority of what the community wants. So yes that is all just a post to say thank you to you guys!”
In a time when major studios seem more interested in pushing agendas than making great games, CI Games is showing that putting the audience first still matters. Listening to the community. Acting on feedback. Prioritizing fun and immersion.
It’s a simple formula. And it works.
Are you buying Lords of The Fallen 2.0? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
I won’t be buying it because I’m just not into Souls-like games. But it’s great to hear that the triple-A industry and its simps are having absolute fits over an eighteen-month old game surging to the top *because the devs listened to players*. We don’t even have to wait for the current Industry Crash to finish; the deadwood is already being replaced.