Nether

VS

Last Epoch

Nether is a multiplayer survival horror game released in 2014 with MMO-like elements. It had a small but dedicated community at launch, though activity dwindled after a few years, especially following management and server changes. The game is now mostly inactive, but a handful of players may still frequent private or community servers. The publisher and developer are not major studios, making sustained high populations unlikely.

Last Epoch is an action RPG released in early 2024, developed by Eleventh Hour Games. It has received strong attention from the ARPG community, especially in the wake of Diablo IV's mixed reception. Daily player count is estimated around 70,000 based on Steam charts peaks and genre trends for new, well-received indie ARPGs. Continued post-launch content could sustain or grow this. It is not an MMO, as it does not feature a true persistent world or large-scale multiplayer environments—multiplayer is limited to smaller parties.