A New Indie Broke Through Last Week

The gaming industry experienced a notable week of sales activity in mid-September 2025, characterized by the dominance of major AAA releases alongside the resilient performance of indie titles. The primary focus of the period was the launch of Borderlands 4, which secured the top position on Steam with approximately 750,000 units sold. Globally, the title has surpassed 2 million copies across all platforms, generating roughly $150 million in revenue. Despite this commercial success, the launch was tempered by technical performance issues and mixed user reviews, highlighting challenges in optimization for current hardware standards.

The indie sector maintained significant market presence, with Hollow Knight: Silksong continuing its strong trajectory by selling over 500,000 copies on Steam, bringing its total to 6 million units. The sustained interest in the Hollow Knight franchise also bolstered sales of the original game, which moved over 200,000 units for the third consecutive week. Amidst these established hits, the South Korean indie title Shape of Dreams successfully entered the market, selling 200,000 copies worldwide. Its performance was driven by a community-focused development approach, strategic bundling with existing titles, and effective localization for the Chinese market, where nearly half of its player base is located.

Data for this analysis is derived from platform-specific sales estimates and engagement metrics, focusing on the global PC market with particular attention to Steam. The findings underscore a trend where successful sequels provide a halo effect for their predecessors, while new indie entrants can achieve significant scale through targeted marketing partnerships and localized strategies, even when launching in close proximity to major AAA blockbusters. Additionally, the report notes that Dying Light: The Beast has garnered approximately 100,000 pre-orders on Steam, with a broader reach of over one million players through existing Ultimate Edition ownership.