Koei Tecmo surprised fans with the shadow drop of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2: Black Chapter during the Xbox Developer Direct on July 24th.  The remastered title launched across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, and was immediately available on Xbox Game Pass.

SteamDB reveals a rather subdued reception for the action title on the PC platform. The peak concurrent player count reached only 2,259 three days after release, with current numbers hovering around 1,253 and a 24-hour peak of 1,585 players.

The lukewarm reception on Steam could be attributed to several factors.  One prominent reason may be the game’s availability on Xbox Game Pass.  Similar to other Xbox first-party titles, like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the subscription service appears to be impacting Steam sales and concurrent players.

The surprise launch strategy, with zero prior marketing, likely also contributed to the low numbers. The lack of pre-release buzz may have missed a significant portion of potential players.

Furthermore, initial player feedback has been mixed.  Of the 1,044 reviews on Steam, only 77% are positive, resulting in a “Mostly Positive” overall rating.  This suggests potential issues with the remaster or unmet expectations from fans of the original.