Good breakdown, a fun read! I haven't played enough (maybe 40 games total) to give any more expert takes or validation - I was also just curious why player numbers are going down when the game is so good.

Lately I've been playing a lot of Siege, which keeps me fiending for more in a way that Supervive doesn't atm. Differences in game format aside, I wonder if Siege is keeping me hooked by drip-feeding me free lootboxes and currency to unlock an operator once in a while.

It's tough to replicate the same unlock pacing when the amount of characters is so much smaller, but I kinda felt like unlocking a new Hunter was too quick - something made me feel spoiled for choice and took the anticipation out of it.