Quest
Company
Documents about Quest
Unity Divides: New Fee Structure Sparks Controversy
This analysis examines the shifting economic landscape of the video game industry, focusing on the controversy surrounding Unity’s 2024 "Runtime Fee" structure and the evolving platform strategies of Roblox and Apple.
- Unity’s new 'Runtime Fee' structure, which charges developers based on game installations rather than revenue, has caused its stock price to plummet from a 2021 peak of $197 to approximately $36.
- The shift toward aggressive rent-seeking by platform holders is driving developers toward alternative engines like Unreal, Godot, and GameMaker to avoid being locked into a single provider.
- Roblox is leveraging its 65.5 million daily active users to expand onto Meta Quest and PlayStation while utilizing generative AI to improve user retention.
Plus: Starfield Gets a Giant Start, Here Comes Fae Farm
Starfield’s multi-platform launch serves as the primary focus of this industry analysis, which tracks performance metrics across Steam, Xbox, and Game Pass.
- Bethesda’s Starfield reached six million players and one million concurrent users within its first 24 hours of full release.
- Starfield’s Steam performance peaked at 270,000 concurrent users, accounting for approximately 25% of the game's total player base.
- NBA 2K24 experienced polarized performance, with strong console engagement contrasted by negative PC reception due to a lack of technical upgrades.
Joining the $4B Club: Clash Royale Towers Above the Competition
Clash Royale has officially surpassed $4 billion in lifetime gross revenue, securing its place within an elite group of only 16 mobile games to reach this financial milestone.
- Clash Royale has surpassed $4 billion in lifetime gross revenue, becoming one of only 16 mobile games to reach this milestone.
- It took Clash Royale 92 months to reach the $4 billion mark, a duration significantly longer than top-tier performers like Genshin Impact (26 months) and PUBG Mobile (32 months).
- The game demonstrates strong long-term monetization, evidenced by a single-quarter performance of $160 million in Q4 2021.
Plus: The Fourteen Big Steam Releases of the Week
The primary focus of this analysis is the significant surge in high-performing Steam releases during the third week of August 2023, alongside a broader evaluation of current console and VR market trends.
- The third week of August 2023 saw a significant surge in market competition, with 14 Steam titles reaching at least 2,000 concurrent users (CCU), up from nine and three in the two preceding weeks.
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon is the most anticipated upcoming release, currently tracking over 132,000 followers on Steam.
- HoloCure: Save The Fans led the week's performance with 45,000 CCU, followed by Wayfinder at 22,000 CCU and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre at 16,000 CCU.
Which Games Got Most Steam Hyped for the Rest of 2023?
Anticipation for the remainder of 2023 on Steam is dominated by a mix of high-budget sequels and viral multiplayer titles.
- Starfield, Payday 3, and Party Animals are the most anticipated upcoming Steam releases for the remainder of 2023, based on a proprietary Hype score derived from over 16,000 unreleased titles.
- Sea of Stars and Payday 3 are demonstrating the highest wishlist velocity, indicating stronger pre-launch momentum than games relying solely on follower counts.
- Market trends show a divergence where AAA action titles like Lies of P and Lords of the Fallen are positioned for PC and console crossover, while simulation and roguelite games like Cities: Skylines II and Endless Dungeon remain PC-centric.
Remnant II Dominates, As We Start Tracking Steam CCU
Remnant II emerged as the dominant market force in late July 2023, achieving a spectacular debut on Steam with over 88,000 peak concurrent users (CCU) and 6,300 positive reviews.
- Remnant II launched in late July 2023 with over 88,000 peak concurrent users on Steam and 6,300 positive reviews, positioning it to exceed one million units sold.
- GameDiscoverCo Plus has introduced a new Steam CCU tracking metric that monitors player counts twice daily to provide more granular popularity data than traditional sales charts.
- The mystery adventure title Sanfu demonstrated the growing influence of Chinese-developed games by reaching 21,000 peak concurrent users on Steam despite having no English translation.
Who's Top of Steam Next Fest for June 2023?
Analysis of the June 2023 Steam Next Fest reveals a highly competitive landscape featuring approximately 1,000 PC game demos, representing over 6% of all unreleased titles tracked on the platform.
- The June 2023 Steam Next Fest featured approximately 1,000 demos, representing over 6% of all unreleased PC titles tracked on the platform.
- Core PC genres including colony sims, survival games, and roguelikes dominated the top-performing titles, with games like Viewfinder, Sea of Stars, Lies of P, and House Flipper 2 showing the strongest engagement.
- Diablo Immortal reached $500 million in cumulative mobile revenue, becoming the 15th fastest mobile title to achieve that milestone.
BattleBit Remastered: A 254-Player Indie Shooter Win?
BattleBit Remastered has emerged as a significant breakout success in the competitive multiplayer shooter market.
- BattleBit Remastered, a three-person indie project, achieved over 31,000 concurrent users in its first week by successfully supporting 254-player matches.
- Diablo IV continues to lead console sales on PlayStation and Xbox as of June 2023, maintaining top-grossing status alongside evergreen titles like Street Fighter 6 and Hogwarts Legacy.
- The success of BattleBit Remastered is attributed to a $15–$33 price point and strong pre-release community engagement, though long-term viability faces challenges from high server costs.
Plus: Amnesia: The Bunker Shows Its Horror Chops
Amnesia: The Bunker serves as the primary case study for mid-year game performance across Steam and console platforms.
- Diablo IV achieved significant cross-platform success, selling over three million units across PlayStation and Xbox, alongside low-digit millions on PC.
- Amnesia: The Bunker debuted on Steam with approximately 2,450 concurrent users and 30,000 units sold, while simultaneously reaching over 100,000 players via Xbox Game Pass.
- Street Fighter 6 maintains strong market momentum, exceeding 500,000 units sold on the Steam platform alone.
News Mash-Up - Week #22
The weekly briefing delivers a snapshot of recent financial performance, product launches, and new releases across the gaming sector.
- Sega Group reported strong growth for fiscal 2023, with revenue increasing 21% and operating income rising 46% to $334 million.
- Square Enix experienced a fiscal 2023 downturn, recording a 6% drop in total revenue, a 12% decline in its digital entertainment arm, and a 30% slump in net income.
- Meta announced the upcoming Quest 3 headset at a $500 price point, featuring a 40% thinner design and signaling a planned price reduction for the Quest 2.
Plus: Examining the Next 90 Days for Big Steam Releases
This analysis examines the performance and market expectations for PC and console titles during the summer of 2023, with a specific focus on the Steam platform.
- Street Fighter 6 set a record for the largest fighting game launch in Steam history, reaching 66,000 concurrent users.
- Steam is currently seeing a consistent release cadence of approximately one game per week launching with over 200,000 wishlists.
- Technical and matchmaking failures can rapidly undermine high-interest launches, as evidenced by Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2 receiving over 6,000 negative reviews despite strong initial engagement.
In‑Depth: Inside China’s 'Hidden' Game Console Market
The Chinese video game console market contains a massive "hidden" segment of unofficial players that significantly outpaces the regulated, domestic market.
- China's console market reached $2.3 billion in 2022 with 16.7 million gamers, but 78.4% of all software and services revenue is generated through an unofficial grey market.
- Mainland Chinese players frequently bypass regional restrictions by using Hong Kong-based accounts to access uncensored content, with some titles seeing over 50% of their player base originating from these unofficial channels.
- The PlayStation 5 has surpassed 1.4 million cumulative sales in China, leading the market alongside Nintendo despite the prevalence of unofficial import hardware.