Dmitriy Byshonkov’s Post

📊 Games & Numbers (07.08.24 - 23.08.24) In case you missed the latest sales updates during the Gamescom buzz, here’s a comprehensive roundup: 🎮 PC/Console Games Black Myth: Wukong has shattered records with over 10 million copies sold and a peak simultaneous player count exceeding 3 million across all platforms. On Steam alone, the peak concurrent users hit 2.41 million—these figures are verified and not approximations. Mortal Kombat 1 from Warner Bros. Discovery and NetherRealm Studios (WB Games) has sold 4 million copies since its September 19, 2023 release. Enshrouded has attracted over 3 million players since its early access launch on January 24, 2024. It reached its first million players within just four days and doubled that figure by the end of the first month. Balatro has been acquired by 2 million gamers, with a major gameplay update slated for release in 2025. Abiotic Factor saw 600,000 sales in its first three months. The game hit 250,000 sales within 8 days of launch, with the USA and China being the top markets. Another Crab’s Treasure crossed 500,000 copies sold in just 3.5 months. Cataclismo, which entered Early Access at the end of July, has already sold 120,000 copies. The game is published by Hooded Horse Inc. Hunt: Showdown achieved a new peak concurrent user record on Steam five years post-release, hitting 60,000 users thanks to a compelling new update. Delta Force: Hawk Ops has garnered over a million wishlists, although the game’s release date remains unannounced. 📱 Mobile Games The Battle Cats from Japan has amassed over $700 million in revenue, with 68% of earnings coming from Japan, 11% from the USA, and 8% from South Korea. It boasts over 78.3 million installs and has maintained over 1 million monthly active users since June 2021. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery has generated over $500 million since its April 2018 launch. The bulk of revenue is from the USA, Germany, the UK, and France. Dice Dreams has surpassed $400 million in revenue. Before MONOPOLY GO!’s release, it earned $125 million; the remaining $275 million came post-launch. The USA is the primary market for the game. AFK Journey launched in China and generated $5.1 million in its first 5 days, representing 7% of its total revenue of $78.8 million. Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney has estimated the financial impact of Fortnite’s removal from the App Store and Google Play at $1 billion, but views it as a "small price for freedom." #GameSales #GamingStats #GameIndustry#GamingNews #VideoGameSales #GamingTrends #BlackMythWukong #MortalKombat1 #EnshroudedGame #BalatroGame #AbioticFactor #AnotherCrabsTreasure #CataclismoGame #HuntShowdown #DeltaForceHawkOps #TheBattleCats #HarryPotterHogwartsMystery #DiceDreams #AFKJourney #FortniteImpact

📊 Games & Numbers (16.10.24 - 29.10.24) 🎮 PC/console games ◾️Bohemia Interactive games have sold over 47 million copies, with almost 41 million sold on Steam. ◾️It Takes Two has been purchased more than 20 million times. ◾️Over 10 million people have played Dead Island 2, though this includes users from subscription services, not only direct sales. ◾️Total sales for the Resident Evil 4 remake have exceeded 8 million copies, achieving this in a year and a half. ◾️Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero sold 3 million copies within 24 hours of its October 7 release. ◾️Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II has surpassed 4.5 million copies sold. The id Software veterans who led the development reported this as their most successful launch. ◾️Silent Hill 2 sold over 1 million copies in its first week, with higher sales in Europe than The Callisto Protocol and Alan Wake 2. In European countries, 78% of sales were for the PS5 version. ◾️According to Insider Gaming, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown sold around one million copies, below management’s expectations. Rumor has it that the development team faces layoffs. ◾️The indie boxing game Undisputed, created by a team with no prior video game experience, has sold over 1 million copies. ◾️Sonic x Shadow Generations sold more than 1 million copies since its release, counting both physical and digital copies. ◾️The indie horror game Crow Country sold 100,000 copies. ◾️Peak CCU for the indie project Liar’s Bar exceeded 100,000 players. 📱Mobile games ◾️According to Sensor Tower, Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! has generated over $800 million in revenue over four years, contributing more than 50% of SEGA’s mobile revenue. The iPad version alone accounts for a significant 18% of total revenue. ◾️In its two years, Marvel Snap has earned over $275 million solely on mobile devices, though its second-year revenue dropped by 40% from the first. ◾️Racing Master by NetEase, launched in Japan in August, has already surpassed $100 million in revenue. It ranks as NetEase’s top-downloaded game in Japan but remains below top revenue records. ◾️Trickcal Re: VIVE, initially launched in 2021 and re-released in 2023, shows promise in the Squad RPG market. The game has generated over $15 million in South Korea alone, with $4.5 million (30% of its total revenue) earned between September 26 and October 15. BiliBili is currently working on an international version. All the links to the sources (and some graphs) are here: https://lnkd.in/d2BXN5N4

📊 Games & Numbers (30.10.24 - 12.11.24) 🎮 PC/console games ◾️Call of Duty series games have been purchased over 500 million times. Only Mario has more (879.4 million copies). ◾️Hogwarts Legacy has been bought by more than 30 million players. It took less than two years to achieve this; Warner Bros. reported 22 million copies sold at the beginning of this year. ◾️Phasmophobia has been purchased more than 20 million times. ◾️Kingdom Come: Deliverance has been bought more than 8 million times. The game was released in 2018. The sequel is set to release on February 11, 2025. ◾️Over 19 million people have played Death Stranding. This doesn’t refer to sales, as the game was distributed for free through subscription services. ◾️Despite mixed player reviews, Dragon Age: The Veilguard showed the best concurrent user count among all EA’s story-driven games - 89,400 people. Only multiplayer games like Apex Legends, Battlefield, EA Sports FC, and The Sims 4 (after transitioning to the F2P model) had higher numbers. ◾️The open beta testing of Monster Hunter Wilds reached 463,000 concurrent users. It took place from November 1 to 4. The game will be released on February 28, 2025. 📱Mobile games ◾️Call of Duty: Mobile has been downloaded over 1 billion times in 5 years. ◾️On October 26, Honor of Kings repeated its own DAU record. Over 100 million people logged into the game. This was due to the project’s ninth anniversary. ◾️Goddess of Victory: Nikke earned $890.6 million in Gross Revenue two years after release. 58.4% of all revenue was generated by Japanese users. ◾️GDEV reported that the browser game Hero Wars: Dominion Era has earned more than $650 million since its release in October 2016. This figure includes revenue from mobile platforms. Apparently, this is the highest-earning browser game in the world. ◾️Pokemon TCG Pocket, launched on October 30 this year, has already surpassed $50 million in Net Revenue, according to AppMagic. 43% of revenue comes from Japan, 27% from the USA. On November 9, the game’s daily revenue was $5.56 million. The game has been downloaded more than 17 million times. This is the second most successful mobile game launch in the franchise after Pokemon GO. ◾️Royal Kingdom has earned more than $20.5 million during its soft launch since April 2023. 74% of this amount was paid by British users. The game will be released worldwide on November 21. ◾️Since its release on October 17, the mobile Age of Empires has earned $13.89 million (as of November 11), reports Chinese publication GameLook. According to AppMagic, the game has more than 5 million installations worldwide. ◾️DAU in Roblox has exceeded 88.9 million people. The biggest growth is due to people over 13 years old. More numbers + links to the sources are here: https://lnkd.in/djiknuv3

Video gaming is having a tough time, and it's starting to show how prioritising profits over CX can be a burden on the bottom line. Sony is shutting down and offering full refunds on its latest game, Concrod, just 2 weeks after it launched. Reports suggest the game only sold 25,000 units and peaked at just 700 players on Steam WORLDWIDE. Concord took 8 years to develop and most likely had a budget of millions of dollars. It was meant to be the "next big franchise" in gaming. But there's been a fair amount of controversy surrounding the launch of Concrod, most notably from supposedly forcing a "woke" agenda, to the general look and feel of the game characters being "too ugly". But at the core, the problems with Concord seem to boil down to 2 main points: 1 - Genre saturation Concrod is a late-entrant into the first-person hero shooter genre, where games like Overwatch, Apex Legends, Fortnite and Destiny already own most of the market. The problem is nobody was asking for a new hero shooter and Concrod didn't present anything new, unique or exciting to lure players from the games that are already enjoying mass adoption. 2 - Live Service fatigue Live services can be hugely profitable over time as players engage in micro-transactions for cosmetics and perks with real money. Players are encouraged to keep coming back to see what's new and are tempted to spend money on skins, loot packs or battle passes that ensure an annuity income for the game studio. Live services have, unfortunately, not lived up to the expectations of players and often left players disappointed, especially when you've paid R1,000+ for the base game. To date, very few live service games have proven to be successful, and players are getting fed up with broken promises. Ubisoft recently also took a hit, with its share price dropping to its lowest level since 2015, based on low sales of its new property, Star Wars Outlaws. While a relatively fun game to play, it's dogged with technical and quality issues that don't justify the asking price. That, and the fact that Ubisoft chose to hide standard gameplay features and early access behind a paywall by releasing multiple versions of the game ranging up to over R2,000 at the top-end, which left a terrible taste in gamers' mouths. This is in stark contrast to news that Black Myth: Wukong, a narrative-driven single-player game with no Live Service, became the top-selling game of 2024, garnering a peak player count of 3 million players on all platforms and selling over 18 million copies. The difference? Black Myth focussed on quality and what gamers have been asking for, while Concrod and Star Wars Outlaws looked and felt like another cash-grab. Nobody said making a profit was bad. This is business after all and we have shareholders to satisfy. But there's something to be said about taking time to understand the market needs and building a quality product rather than chasing money-making trends that might already be on the way out.

Result-Driven Process to Make Hyper-Casual Games Hypercasual games are characterized by simple game mechanics. They have very few features, unlike the main games, and can be explained in a screenshot, as former Rovio VP Eric Seufert said. Also, it is a light game with a minimalist design. Read More: https://lnkd.in/dcAnH8kA  #Gamedeve #HyperCasualGames #gamedevelopment #gaming #technology #appdevelopment

📊 Games & Numbers (12.06.24 - 25.06.24) 🎮 PC/console games ▪️From Software announced just days before the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC that Elden Ring has surpassed 25 million copies sold. In February of this year, the company reported 23 million sales. https://t.ly/cgI5s ▪️Activision Blizzard boasted that their Crash N. Sane Trilogy has been purchased over 20 million times. https://t.ly/_xf8t ▪️Sales of Resident Evil Village have exceeded 10 million copies, taking 3 years to achieve this milestone. Total sales of the series have surpassed 157 million copies, with the best-selling game being the Resident Evil 2 remake, which sold 13.9 million copies. https://t.ly/uFglV ▪️The VR game Gorilla Tag has earned over $100 million since 2021. The game has been bought more than 10 million times, with an average session time of 60 minutes. https://t.ly/ozY4A ▪️According to GameDiscoverCo, Black Myth: Wukong has over 4 million wishlists on Steam, with 60-70% of them coming from China. During the 2024 Summer Game Fest, the game has been added to wishlists 854,000 times. https://t.ly/Otl1r ▪️The meditative building simulator Tiny Glade has garnered over a million wishlists. The developers shared their joy on social media. https://t.ly/oXn4Z 📱Mobile games ▪️Sensor Tower reports that Chinese users spent a staggering $270 million on Dungeon & Fighter Mobile in a month, excluding Android stores. Niko Partners revised their forecast for the project, increasing it from $1 billion to nearly $2.5 billion annually. In its first month in China, the game earned more than it did in over two years in Korea ($180 million). The game’s launch was even better than Monopoly GO!, and it’s only available in two markets. https://shorturl.at/dJDAz ▪️Summoners War: Sky Arena has earned over $3 billion in ten years. The game reached its 1st billion in August 2017, the 2nd in August 2020, and the third in June 2024. Over 90% of its revenue has come from outside South Korea. https://t.ly/gMxs6 ▪️Sensor Tower reports that Squad Busters has surpassed 44.3 million downloads and $28 million in revenue, though actual figures are likely higher. https://shorturl.at/1KdA2 ▪️Wuthering Waves has been downloaded more than 30 million times, according to its developer, Kuro Games (https://t.ly/6p72Z). AppMagic reports a figure three times lower but doesn’t account for alternative platforms. The Chinese portal GameLook estimated that the game earned $137.8 million in its first month. https://t.ly/CEIKm ▪️Zenless Zone Zero has broken the record for pre-registrations held by Squad Busters. In a month and a half, the project has attracted over 41.5 million users. At launch, Honkai: Star Rail had 31 million users and Genshin Impact had 21 million. https://t.ly/IEeeQ ▪️According to Sensor Tower, Solo Leveling: Arise has earned over $70 million in its first month. Of this revenue, 39.4% came from South Korea, 16.9% from the USA, and 15.6% from Japan. https://shorturl.at/wJCJs

The Biggest Video Games Of 2024 On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment magazine in the UK“, we check out the biggest video games of 2024 based on the highest average monthly search volume. The year 2024 is shaping up to be a blockbuster year for gamers! With powerhouse studios cranking out sequels, innovative indies taking center stage, and next-gen consoles pushing the boundaries of graphical fidelity, there’s something for everyone on the horizon. But with so many titles vying for our attention, it can be hard to know which games deserve a coveted spot in our ever-growing libraries. To help you navigate the exciting, yet potentially overwhelming, world of upcoming releases, we’ve delved into the data. Based on the highest average monthly search volume, we’re here to unveil the most anticipated video games of 2024. From long-awaited sequels to fresh new IPs, get ready to embark on a journey through the hottest titles grabbing the attention of gamers worldwide! To helpus out, experts at Gameyard sent over their analysis of Google search data of 81 of the biggest gaming titles coming in 2024. Over 242 terms were assessed and totalled, revealing a ranking of the top five biggest video games of 2024, based on the highest average monthly search volume.  #videogames #videogames2024 READ MORE NOW https://lnkd.in/eB8ARWmg

Is Sony avoiding Free-to-Play Multiplayer games in its Live Service Model? About a third of their State of Play event was dedicated to Concord, Sony’s upcoming hero shooter. Suprise Suprise, Concord won’t be Free to Play. Rather it will follow the Helldivers 2 strategy: launching at a $40 price point. There is an interesting opinion piece on Gamesindustry.biz that dives much deeper into what this may mean for Sony, and the effects on the game lifecycle. To pull some interesting quotes from the article: ‘’ Sony is making things a bit harder for itself by avoiding free-to-play – but its calculation that this approach will lead to a more sustainable live service business in the medium to long-term may be well founded’’. ‘’ The decision of whether or not to charge up-front for the game has knock-on effects across the design of the game’’. ‘’ Sony has been watching the Hoyoverse cash roll in on PlayStation; it sees and understands how F2P works and what it requires and has nonetheless made a choice to eschew that approach’’. It being an opion piece, all we can do at this point is make educated guesses about the Live Service Model Sony is going to employ. Looking back to 2023 where we’ve seen Free-to-Play games being shut down for reasons other than not enough players e.g., Rumbleverse, Knockout City, Apex Legends Mobile and more. Combined with games that have become platforms themselves – Fortnite, Roblox etc. that people keep coming back to, it may make sense to charge an entry fee for a live service game. What are your thoughts? The opinion piece: https://lnkd.in/eAXA2iqA.

Result-Driven Process to Make Hyper-Casual Games Hypercasual games are characterized by simple game mechanics. They have very few features, unlike the main games, and can be explained in a screenshot, as former Rovio VP Eric Seufert said. Also, it is a light game with a minimalist design. Read More: https://lnkd.in/dyiTDfiM  #Gamedeve #HyperCasualGames #gamedevelopment #gaming #technology #appdevelopment

📊 Games & Numbers (24.08.24 - 03.09.24) 🎮 PC/console games ◾️ Steam set a new record with 37.2 million concurrent users on the platform. ◾️ Crime Scene Cleaner sold over 200,000 copies in less than 2 weeks. ◾️ Valve’s Deadlock is gaining popularity. The game hit a new peak of 171,000 concurrent users. It’s still in closed beta. According to VG Insights, the game has over 1.5 million wishlists. ◾️ GameDiscoverCo estimates that Black Myth: Wukong has 3 million buyers on PS5, with 2 million in China. ◾️ Over 19 million people have played Control. This doesn’t reflect sales since the game has been available on subscription services. ◾️ The mobile game CarX Street has launched on Steam. The game had 600,000 wishlists at release. Unlike the mobile version, the game is sold for $19.99 with no microtransactions. The mobile version has been downloaded over 50 million times. 📱Mobile games ◾️ Sensor Tower reports that Coin Master has surpassed $6 billion in revenue. The game has an interesting history. It was nominally released in 2012 but didn’t receive any support until February 2016. By December 2018, the game was making $10 million a month. In August 2020, Coin Master had a total revenue of $1.37 billion. By August 2024, the developers managed to increase it more than fourfold. ◾️ Merge Mansion by Metacore has earned $500 million in 4 years of operation, with 55 million downloads during that time. ◾️ Sensor Tower reports that Zenless Zone Zero reached $100 million in revenue faster than any other game released in 2024. The main regions are China (39.7% of revenue), Japan (27.7%), the USA (10.1%), and South Korea (9.1%). The RPD in South Korea is $14, second only to Japan. Note that Sensor Tower does not account for PC and console sales, so the actual revenue of the game is even higher. ◾️ Goddess of Victory: Nikke launched a collaboration with Evangelion, resulting in the project’s revenue doubling on the day of the update's release. According to AppMagic, the peak gradually normalized afterward. Other ◾️ More than 335,000 people from 120 countries attended Gamescom ’24 this year, which is 4.6% more than last year. All the links (and some graphs) are available here: https://lnkd.in/dbUV8q9w