NetEase's upcoming third-person shooter, Once Human, boasts over 15 million global pre-registrations, a significant achievement highlighted by its Steam Next Fest success. However, a closer look reveals a disparity between its mobile and PC performance.

While pre-registrations are impressive, only 300,000 translate to Steam wishlists. This contrasts with NetEase's mobile-centric history and their prioritization of a PC-first release for Once Human. This strategic move, while not necessarily misguided given the game's strong Steam Next Fest showing (highest demo player count), underscores the challenges of achieving comparable discoverability and popularity on PC compared to the mobile market.

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NetEase's focus on the PC market is understandable, but the data highlights the significant difference in audience reach and discoverability between PC and mobile platforms. Even a major developer like NetEase faces hurdles in replicating their mobile success on PC.

While awaiting Once Human's release, consider exploring our curated lists of the best and most anticipated mobile games of 2024. These lists offer handpicked selections of top-tier mobile gaming experiences.