Age of Empires

Top 500 Titles on Twitch 2023

The gaming industry experienced record-breaking engagement in 2023, with the top 500 titles on Twitch generating nearly 15 billion hours of watch time.

• The top 500 Twitch titles generated nearly 15 billion hours of watch time in 2023, with 50% of that total concentrated in just 11 games.
• Grand Theft Auto V was the most-watched title of 2023, accumulating 1.3 billion hours of viewership.
• Fortnite led the industry in creator engagement with 2.8 million unique channels, more than double the count of its nearest competitor.

Chinese Games Market: Q1 2022 Performance

The Chinese games market demonstrated continued growth in the first quarter of 2022, reaching a total revenue of ¥79.4 billion, or approximately $12.1 billion.

• The Chinese games market reached ¥79.4 billion ($12.1 billion) in Q1 2022, marking a 3.17% year-over-year increase.
• Mobile gaming remains the primary revenue driver, accounting for 76% of the total market with ¥60.4 billion ($9.2 billion) in earnings.
• Mobile revenue growth slowed to 2.72% year-over-year, reflecting a broader trend of decelerating expansion in the Chinese market.

Why Is Poppy Playtime Doing So Well?

This analysis explores the sudden commercial success of the indie horror title Poppy Playtime and provides a broader examination of current sales trends across Steam, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

• Poppy Playtime’s commercial success is driven by content creator virality and the 'creepypasta' subgenre, resulting in an initial two-week sales volume of approximately 75,000 to 100,000 copies.
• Poppy Playtime demonstrated an unconventional growth trajectory on Steam, increasing from 24 reviews on its launch day to over 160 daily reviews just two weeks later.
• Subscription services significantly influence console charts, as demonstrated by Hell Let Loose reaching the top spot on PlayStation due to its inclusion in the PlayStation Plus service.

Plus: Why Did Inscryption Blow Up?

Analysis of recent market trends reveals that the roguelite card battler Inscryption has emerged as a significant breakout success, surpassing initial expectations with 100,000 units sold and 12,500 concurrent users on Steam shortly after launch.

• Inscryption achieved breakout success with 100,000 units sold and 12,500 concurrent Steam users, driven by the developer's established reputation, a pivot to the popular roguelite card battler genre, and high streamer visibility.
• Publisher Devolver Digital’s platform-wide following provides a significant marketing advantage for indie titles, acting as a force multiplier for initial launch performance.
• Recent momentum is a more reliable indicator of commercial success than long-term follower accumulation, as evidenced by titles like Spire of Sorcery failing to convert high historical interest into active players.

We're Having a Total War With Pathfinder?

This market analysis examines the performance and anticipation of premium PC and console games during late August 2021.

• Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous entered its late August 2021 launch week with 250,000 to 300,000 wishlists and a #33 Hype ranking, highlighting strong demand for deep fantasy CRPGs.
• Aliens: Fireteam Elite led Steam global top sellers with 15,000 peak concurrent users, while Psychonauts 2 achieved 7,000 peak concurrent users despite being available day-one on Xbox Game Pass.
• A Total War Saga: Troy transitioned to Steam following a successful Epic Games Store promotion that saw 7.5 million redemptions.

Age of Empires Has Sold 25 Million Units, Generated Over $1 Billion in Revenue

The Age of Empires franchise has achieved significant commercial success, reaching a cumulative milestone of 25 million units sold and generating over $1 billion in total revenue.

• The Age of Empires franchise has achieved a lifetime sales milestone of 25 million units.
• The franchise has generated over $1 billion in total revenue.
• The release of the definitive version of Age of Empires II on November 14, 2019, contributed to the franchise's strong sales and revenue performance.

GDC Plays Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition with lead developer Bert Beeckman

Forgotten Empires evolved from a grassroots community modding collective into a professional studio through a strategic partnership with Microsoft, culminating in the comprehensive reconstruction of Age of Empires II.

• Forgotten Empires scaled the Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition data size down from a peak of 120GB during pre-beta testing to approximately 30GB for the final release to ensure accessibility across a wider range of hardware.
• The development team transitioned from the HD Edition's approach of simply scaling up original sprites to creating entirely new, high-quality assets for every element in the game.
• The project reached over 1 million lifetime downloads, a milestone that exceeded the developers' initial expectations and solidified the partnership between Forgotten Empires and Microsoft.

Summary of Financial Results for Third Quarter of Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2016

This financial summary outlines the consolidated operating performance of KLab Inc. for the first nine months of the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.

• KLab Inc. reported a net loss of 801.3 million yen for the first nine months of 2016, a significant reversal from the 934.4 million yen profit recorded during the same period in 2015.
• Revenue declined 11.9% year-over-year to 14.59 billion yen, driven primarily by underperformance in the title Love Live! School Idol Festival.
• Profitability suffered sharp declines, with operating income falling 54.6% to 1.03 billion yen and ordinary income dropping 94.2% to 123.6 million yen.

KLab 2016 Second Quarter Financial Results

KLab’s second quarter 2016 financial results reveal a period of transition characterized by a decline in core game revenue, offset by strategic cost-cutting measures and a pivot toward a diversified business model.

Summary of Financial Results for First Half of Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2016

KLab Inc. reported a significant downturn in financial performance for the first half of the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016, covering the period from January 1 to June 30, 2016.

• KLab Inc. reported a net loss of 1.34 billion yen for the first half of 2016, a significant reversal from the 665 million yen profit recorded during the same period in 2015.
• Consolidated revenue fell 14.9% year-over-year to 8.88 billion yen, driven primarily by declining performance from the title Love Live! School Idol Festival.
• Operating income plummeted 96.7% to 51 million yen, while the company recorded an ordinary loss of 746 million yen for the period ending June 30, 2016.

KLab 2015 Fourth Quarter Financial Results

KLab’s financial results for the fourth quarter of 2015 reflect a period of contraction and strategic restructuring.

KLab FY2014 Financial Results

KLab Inc.’s fiscal year 2014 financial results demonstrate a successful transition to a native mobile gaming business model, characterized by a return to profitability and significant revenue growth.