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PlayStation VR2: What Big Launch Games, and Why?
The launch of PlayStation VR2 marks a strategic attempt by Sony to differentiate its console ecosystem through high-end virtual reality, despite the hardware currently occupying a niche market position.
- The global console market experienced a 7.8% decline in 2022, primarily driven by hardware supply constraints and software release delays.
- Meta has reached nearly 20 million Quest headset sales, though data indicates that engagement levels among newer users are lower than those of early adopters.
- PlayStation VR2 adoption is currently driven by a mix of first-party titles like Horizon Call of the Mountain and VR-enhanced versions of established hits such as Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village.
Plus: Wo Long & Phantom Brigade Debut With a Flourish This Week
The primary objective of this analysis is to evaluate the commercial performance and market reception of major video game releases during the first week of March 2023.
- Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty achieved a record-breaking 75,000 peak concurrent users on Steam for Koei Tecmo, despite receiving a 35% 'Mostly Negative' review rating due to poor PC optimization and control schemes.
- The negative reception of Wo Long highlights a growing consumer trend where high-end console-to-PC ports face significant revenue and brand damage when technical performance is substandard.
- Limbus Company successfully captured a niche audience, reaching over 23,000 peak concurrent users and securing high grossing positions on its launch platform.
Sons of the Forest: So Big It Broke Steam?
The late February 2023 gaming market was defined by a surge of high-performing PC debuts and the continued commercial dominance of major triple-A franchises.
- Hogwarts Legacy dominated the global market with 12 million units sold and $850 million in revenue, leading download charts across PlayStation, Xbox, and the Epic Games Store.
- Sons of the Forest achieved the year's second-largest Steam debut with 330,000 concurrent users, causing temporary storefront instability while maintaining an 88% positive rating.
- Atomic Heart and Company of Heroes 3 saw moderate PC success with 38,500 and 36,600 concurrent users respectively, though the latter faced mixed reviews due to technical issues.
Plus: Next Week Goes Big With Wild Hearts, Pharaoh, Returnal
Market analysis reveals that Hogwarts Legacy is currently the primary driver of industry performance, achieving nearly 700,000 concurrent users on Steam and dominating sales charts across PlayStation, Xbox, and the Epic Games Store.
- Hogwarts Legacy is the current market leader, reaching nearly 700,000 concurrent Steam users and projected to sell between 10 and 20 million units across all platforms.
- Koei Tecmo and EA’s Wild Hearts is positioned as the next major release, currently ranking in the top 40 grossing titles on Steam via pre-orders with over 35,000 followers.
- Sony’s PC port of Returnal is showing significant market interest with 18,000 Steam followers despite a $60 premium price point.
Which Newer Steam Games Are Now Evergreen Sellers?
Analysis of Steam sales data from early 2023 reveals that several titles released in 2022 have established a significant "long tail" of consistent revenue, distinguishing them as evergreen sellers.
- Games released in 2022 that achieved evergreen status share common drivers of deep mechanical hooks or strong regional appeal, as seen in titles like 'Against the Storm', 'Foxhole', and 'Symphony of War'.
- Low-priced titles at the five-dollar price point, specifically 'Vampire Survivors' and 'Brotato', have successfully established significant long-tail revenue through consistent sales volume.
- Regional market penetration can sustain long-term performance, exemplified by 'Astlibra Revision', where less than 10% of reviews originate from English-speaking users due to its strength in the Chinese market.
Plus: The Big (Continuing!) Steam Hits for January
This analysis examines Steam market trends and multi-platform performance data for January 2023, focusing on the sustained dominance of evergreen titles and the reception of new releases.
- Steam's market is increasingly dominated by evergreen titles, as older hits like The Forest, Raft, Hollow Knight, and Hades consistently outperform most new releases.
- Deep discounting of premium titles remains a more effective visibility strategy on Steam than the free-to-play model, evidenced by the fact that only 19 of the top 100 most-reviewed games are free-to-play.
- New release performance is highly polarized, with high-budget titles like Forspoken struggling with technical optimization despite high concurrent user peaks.
GTA Trilogy Remaster Stealth Launches on Steam
This analysis examines the state of the global video game market during the third week of January 2023, focusing on digital storefront performance across Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Epic Games Store, and Meta Quest.
- Hogwarts Legacy is positioned for a major commercial launch, currently topping grossing charts on both Steam and the Epic Games Store based solely on pre-order volume.
- Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition reached the Steam top-ten grossing charts following its stealth launch, despite maintaining modest concurrent user peaks of only 400 to 800 per title.
- Legacy Rockstar titles continue to drive revenue through brand recognition and deep discounting, even as they are significantly outperformed by the ongoing success of Grand Theft Auto Online.
Plus: One Piece Odyssey - A Trad Hit for Namco
One Piece Odyssey has demonstrated a strong market debut, signaling that traditional, high-priced JRPG adaptations of major anime franchises remain highly viable.
- One Piece Odyssey is a commercial success for Bandai Namco, with first-week Steam sales projected between 150,000 and 200,000 units and a top position on U.S. PlayStation digital charts.
- The success of One Piece Odyssey at a $60 price point without live-service mechanics proves that traditional, premium-priced JRPG adaptations of major anime franchises remain highly viable.
- Chinese-developed titles are showing significant market traction on Steam, with Jianghu11 reaching over 10,000 concurrent users and Sailing Era achieving 6,000 concurrent users.
Dwarf Fortress and Ixion Debut Analysis
The early December 2022 period highlights a significant trend on Steam where deep, complex strategy and simulation titles are dominating player interest and driving high Day 1 revenue.
- Dwarf Fortress achieved over 160,000 units sold within 24 hours of its early December 2022 release, peaking at over 22,000 concurrent users.
- Complex simulation titles are seeing high market demand, evidenced by Ixion reaching 16,000 concurrent users despite reported game balancing issues.
- New release performance is highly polarized; while Choo-Choo Charles saw strong engagement, Hello Neighbor 2 underperformed with fewer than 700 concurrent users.
Plus: Darktide, Midnight Suns, Callisto Protocol, Need For Speed Go Big!
This analysis provides a comprehensive overview of PC and console game performance during late November and early December 2022.
- Warhammer 40,000: Darktide achieved a strong commercial debut on Steam, exceeding 100,000 concurrent users despite player backlash regarding its monetization model.
- Dwarf Fortress entered the market with high momentum, carrying over 120,000 followers into its Steam release.
- The Callisto Protocol suffered a poor launch on PC, receiving 'Mostly Negative' user reviews primarily due to technical stuttering issues.
Plus: The Big Steam December Launches You Missed
This analysis examines the performance of video game launches during the late December 2022 period and provides a forward-looking assessment of upcoming releases for early 2023.
- Project: Playtime leveraged the Poppy Playtime brand to reach 21,100 concurrent users and secure over 10,000 positive reviews.
- High On Life significantly outperformed median first-week conversion rates by 300%, despite being simultaneously available on Game Pass.
- Crisis Core – Final Fantasy VII Reunion debuted with nearly 10,000 concurrent users, while the Chinese indie title Depersonalization saw 90% of its engagement originate from the Chinese market.
VR Game Revenues to Hit $3.2 Billion by 2024
The virtual reality gaming sector is experiencing significant expansion, with global revenues projected to reach $3.2 billion by 2024.
- Global VR gaming revenue is projected to reach $3.2 billion by 2024, representing a 44% compound annual growth rate from $500 million in 2019.
- The active VR headset user base is forecasted to grow from 27.7 million in 2022 to 46 million by 2024, driven by increased hardware affordability, such as the Meta Quest.
- 2022 VR gaming revenues are expected to hit $1.8 billion, marking a 28.5% year-over-year increase.