On April 14, Kraken Express opened Early Access to the public for its newest game, Windrose. Backed by support from some top content creators, it got off to a surprisingly strong start, peaking at over 106,000 concurrent viewers to emerge among Twitch's most popular releases this year.
Windrose is a PvE survival adventure co-op game, currently exclusive to PC, where players fight on land and sea, solo or with friends. They have to build, craft and explore a vast open world filled with dark secrets. Along the way, they can master soulslite combat and take on challenging bosses, command their ships and plunder unspoken treasures.
What did Windrose's Early Access viewership statistics look like?
During its first two days under the latest beta testing program, Windrose has produced some decent audience numbers. It has accumulated 2.2 million Hours Watched in this time on Twitch, with a peak of 106,498 live viewers, putting it among the ten most popular video game releases of the year.
In fact, the nearly 106.5K Peak Viewers (PV) has put it above titles like Mewgenics and Arknights: Endfield when looking at new launches in 2026. Mewgenics, an indie tactical roguelike, delivered standout performances across livestreaming platforms during its release in February, so beating its early concurrent viewership bodes well for Windrose.
As always, a big reason for the livestreaming success of Windrose is the caliber of streamers playing the game's Early Access. Globally popular names like Zack "zackrawrr" Hoyt, Ben "CohhCarnage" Cassell and Michael "shroud " Grzesiek have already spent hours exploring the game's vast open world, no doubt helped by the expanse of the seven seas.
Moreover, quite a lot of these creators were offering Twitch Drops to their viewers, which is always a good way to attract higher audience numbers. The likes of Jason "PirateSoftware" Hall, Sean "Gladd" Gallagher and Lisa "MadameDiablo" were among those using this feature to reach a larger viewership.
Why else did Windrose's Early Access make news?
The first bit of positive news came much earlier, when the survival title drew strong engagement by catching the attention of about 1 million players during February's Steam Next Fest. Soon after, the hype train did its thing, as the title's wishlists went up to 1.5 million before the game's release was even announced.
The Kraken Express game sold 500,000 copies within 48 hours of its Early Access launch on April 14, no mean feat for any title, let alone one in a genre as niche as this. Coupled with the fact that it almost hit 100,000 concurrent Steam players on April 15, the early signs are good for Windrose.
Moreover, Windrose has earned comparisons to Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, thanks to the similarities in combat, gameplay and settings, specifically, the sailing and plundering aspects and the tropical, open-sea feel that made Black Flag popular. Ubisoft's 2013 classic is widely hailed as the legendary series's best game, so the fact that Kraken Express's still-fledgling title is gaining such attention points to how well the initial reception has been.
However, it won't be all smooth sailing for the title, as there have been a few issues bogging it down. Chief among them is the fact that its co-op systems have run into choppy waters, necessitating the organizers to send out a Hail Mary in the form of its Discord server, where it has reached out for contacts at major internet service providers in an unusual call for help to fix these problems.
One hotfix was released on the day of its Early Access release, showing that the devs were taking this seriously. With help most probably coming from external sources, there is a good chance they will also figure out the issues behind the co-op mode's online stability and get out more hotfixes soon.
So far, Windrose's Early Access has proved a success, the co-op inconsistencies notwithstanding, as the game is still enjoying a strong player count. It was the #2 selling game on Steam at the time of writing (number one among pay-for titles), and judging by the response of streamers and players, it could very well finish among the sleeper hits for 2026 video game releases come the end of the year.
FAQs
What is Windrose?
Windrose is a PvE survival adventure co-op game, currently exclusive to PC, where players fight on land and sea, build, craft, and explore an open world.
How many viewers did Windrose Early Access peak at?
Windrose Early Access peaked at 106,498 live viewers during its first two days, placing it among the year's most popular video game releases.
How many copies did Windrose sell in Early Access?
The Kraken Express game sold 500,000 copies within 48 hours of its Early Access launch on April 14.
Which streamers played Windrose Early Access?
Globally popular streamers like Zack "zackrawrr" Hoyt, Ben "CohhCarnage" Cassell, and Michael "shroud" Grzesiek played Windrose Early Access.
Header image via Steam
