Blackmill Games

Plus: How Does 'Long Tail' Differ for Year-Old Games?

This GameDiscoverCo Plus newsletter issue from mid-September 2022 examines how the long tail has played out for the biggest Steam launches of September 2021, then rounds up current and upcoming releases across Steam, consoles, Epic Games Store, and Meta Quest, focusing on the U.S. market.

• Top-performing Steam games see a median review multiplier of 3.1x between their first week and their first year, though extreme outliers pull the average up to 5.66x.
• Aggressive discounting and subscription integration are primary drivers of long-tail growth, exemplified by FIFA 22 achieving a 29.6x multiplier through 84% discounts and EA Play inclusion.
• Niche titles with high price points and minimal discounting experience significantly lower long-tail performance, as seen with Melty Blood: Type Lumina’s 2.16x multiplier.