Microsoft’s first-party video game development studio Double Fine Productions has once again seen a brand-new game release receiving less-than-stellar reception, as the multiplayer title Kiln is noticeably struggling to pull in significant player counts on Steam. Kiln launched simultaneously for PC via Steam and as a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass on April 23, and while it is still too soon to draw any major conclusions, early data may not bode well for Kiln on Steam.
Audiences may be familiar with the name Double Fine, thanks to games like Pyschonauts and Brutal Legend that helped the studio to expand its early portfolio and even snag some prestigious awards. Double Fine was acquired by Microsoft in 2019 and merged with the Xbox Game Studios division before working on development for Psychonauts 2, which launched in 2021. The studio was somewhat quiet in the years that followed but caught the attention of long-time fans when the surrealist single-player exploration game Keeper was announced. That title officially launched in 2025 and has now been quickly followed by a new project from Double Fine, though the team’s latest release seems to already be following an unfortunate pattern.
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Kiln Follows Unfortunate Low Player Count Pattern For Double Fine
Double Fine’s online multiplayer party brawler Kiln has struggled to make a splash on Steam, reaching a peak player count of only 193 unique users within its first 24 hours, according to data from SteamDB. This marks the second recent release from the Xbox first-party studio to fall short of expectations. Double Fine’s Keeper also failed to perform well on Steam, though that title did manage to pull in positive reviews despite its lower player count. Both Kiln and Keeper launched as day-one Xbox Game Pass releases, so some have speculated that perhaps the extra marketing focus on Xbox simply failed to drum up enough interest among PC gamers. The inclusion of both titles on Xbox’s PC Game Pass may have also played a role, as PC fans may have chosen to utilize the direct first-party service over Steam, though that remains unconfirmed.
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There is certainly no shortage of online multiplayer party games on Xbox Game Pass or Steam, so it would not be unreasonable to believe that the sheer amount of competition within the genre could be playing against Kiln. Current Steam reviews for Kiln sit at “Mostly Positive” at the time of writing, with many of the negative reviews voicing concerns regarding level-locked mechanics and a lack of multiple game modes. Positive comments have highlighted the possibility of future updates that could remedy these issues, though there has been no official word yet on what any long-term plans may be for Kiln.
Not every game can be a massive hit, and there is arguably plenty of room for single-A and AA games to balance out the overwhelming number of indie releases and AAA projects in the industry. That said, Double Fine has now twice seen its releases struggling to break past a couple-hundred players on Steam, and many worry that the continued game cancellations, studio closures, and layoffs at Microsoft could swivel in the direction of the first-party studio if these numbers remain low. It is worth mentioning that player data for Kiln on Xbox Game Pass is not available, so there is the possibility that the game is receiving greater attention among console users. Only time will tell if Kiln is able to gain greater support on Steam or if it will suffer a similar fate to its Double Fine predecessor.
- Released
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April 23, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Crude Humor, Language, Users Interact
- Publisher(s)
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Xbox Game Studios
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
