Starfield
Documents about Starfield
Why Older Games Rule - and New Games Drool - in Discoveryland
Analysis of the 2024 PC and console market reveals a significant shift in player behavior, characterized by the overwhelming dominance of older titles over new releases.
- Games six years or older accounted for 61% of total playtime in 2023, a significant increase from 45% in 2021.
- Five established franchises—Fortnite, Roblox, League of Legends, Minecraft, and Grand Theft Auto V—collectively captured 27% of all industry playtime.
- New releases struggle to gain traction, with only 8% of total market playtime available for non-annual titles released within the last two years.
Deep Dive: Inside Manor Lords' 2 Million-Selling Success
This analysis examines the commercial success of the medieval city builder Manor Lords, which sold over two million units on Steam within three weeks of its April 2024 Early Access debut.
- Manor Lords sold over two million units on Steam within three weeks of its April 2024 Early Access launch, driven by 3.2 million pre-release wishlists.
- The game's market success was anchored by a strong European player base, with Germany alone contributing 14% of total sales.
- The developer's strategy of transparent communication regarding Early Access status and delaying the launch to meet player expectations proved critical to maintaining momentum.
SENTRY: Analyzing a Winning Next Fest Demo
This analysis examines the performance of the indie title SENTRY during the October 2023 Steam Next Fest to identify the factors that contribute to a successful game demo and discovery phase.
- Steam Next Fest exhibits a 'winner-takes-most' dynamic, where the top two performing games accounted for 43% of the total follower growth among the top 12 titles.
- A Top 30 performance in the October 2023 Steam Next Fest generated approximately 20,000 additional wishlists for SENTRY, representing a 30% increase for the title.
- The SENTRY demo achieved 41,000 downloads and 28,000 unique players over an 11-day period during the festival.
Xbox's Starfield and Indiana Jones Don't Come to Other Platforms
The primary focus of this industry update is the clarification of Microsoft’s multiplatform strategy regarding its high-profile gaming titles.
- Microsoft has confirmed that major flagship titles Starfield and the Indiana Jones franchise will remain exclusive to Xbox and will not be released on competing platforms.
- While Microsoft is bringing four select titles to other consoles, the company maintains its broader exclusivity strategy for its most high-profile intellectual property.
- Nvidia reported quarterly revenue of $22.1 billion as of February 2024 and is reportedly developing a custom chip for the next Nintendo Switch iteration to improve performance.
Betting the Kingdom: Disney's $1.5 Billion Push into Gaming and the Future of Entertainment
This analysis explores the strategic realignment of major entertainment and gaming entities, centered on Disney’s $1.5 billion equity stake in Epic Games.
- Disney is investing $1.5 billion in Epic Games to build a persistent 'digital theme park' within Fortnite, marking a strategic shift from a licensing-only model to direct participation in interactive digital environments.
- Microsoft is considering porting major first-party titles like Starfield and Indiana Jones to PlayStation and Nintendo platforms to maximize returns on its ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard acquisitions, despite potential risks to the Xbox hardware ecosystem.
- Roblox reached a record $1.127 billion in quarterly bookings, demonstrating the financial viability of business models centered on user-generated content.
Xbox’s Confusing, PlayStation-Friendly Future
Microsoft is currently evaluating a strategic shift that involves releasing previously exclusive Xbox and PC titles on competing platforms, specifically PlayStation and potentially Nintendo Switch.
- Microsoft is reportedly considering releasing marquee Xbox and PC titles, including 'Indiana Jones and the Great Circle', 'Starfield', and 'Sea of Thieves', on PlayStation consoles.
- While Microsoft is exploring multi-platform releases, there is currently no indication that these games will launch on PlayStation simultaneously with their Xbox and PC releases.
- Xbox leadership has shifted its strategy from hardware-exclusive content to a broader vision of reaching more players across multiple screens and geographies, despite previous internal goals of maintaining Xbox/PC-only exclusivity.
The Golden Twig Awards 2023
The Golden Twig Awards 2023 serves as an industry-focused retrospective, identifying the most significant trends, successes, and failures within the global gaming sector during the 2023 calendar year.
- Unity’s introduction of a controversial Runtime Fee was identified as the industry's most significant topic of 2023 due to its widespread negative impact.
- Embracer Group faced severe operational challenges, resulting in over 900 job losses and a $1.3 billion debt burden, earning it the designation for worst layoffs and most damage taken.
- Scopely’s 'Monopoly GO' achieved significant commercial success by reaching billion-dollar franchise status within seven months of its launch.
The State of AAA Game Advertising
The analysis demonstrates that 2023 marked a peak in AAA game advertising, with live-service titles such as Fortnite commanding the highest spend (US$57 M) and blockbuster launches—Hogwarts Legacy, Diablo IV, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III—each exceeding US$25 M. YouTube remained the dominant channel (35% of spend), yet…
- AAA game advertising peaked in 2023, with top live-service titles like Fortnite spending US$57M and major launches including Hogwarts Legacy, Diablo IV, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III each exceeding US$25M.
- YouTube remains the primary advertising channel at 35% of total spend, though publishers are increasingly diversifying into Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to reach broader audiences.
- Activision Blizzard and Epic Games led the market in 2023, each allocating over US$70M to U.S. campaigns for both new intellectual properties and established franchises.
Top-Grossing and Best-Selling New Game Releases of 2023
This analysis provides an overview of the top-performing video game releases of 2023 across major platforms, including Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III led unit sales on both PlayStation and Xbox, while also generating the highest total revenue on Steam.
- Sons of the Forest outperformed major AAA titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III to become the best-selling new release by unit volume on Steam.
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom secured the top position for digital unit sales on the Nintendo Switch.
Microsoft Q1 FY24 Financial Results: Gaming Business Update
Microsoft’s financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 demonstrate a period of record-breaking performance for its gaming division, characterized by strong software engagement despite a decline in hardware sales.
- Microsoft Gaming revenue reached $3.919 billion in Q1 FY24, a 9% year-over-year increase driven by a 13% rise in content and services revenue.
- The integration of Activision Blizzard and the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III are projected to drive Q2 FY24 revenue growth between 45% and 49%.
- Console hardware sales declined by 7% year-over-year, contrasting with the strong performance in software and service engagement.
The Other Game That Succeeded During the Starfield Launch
The primary purpose of this analysis is to challenge the industry-wide tendency for independent developers to avoid launching games alongside major AAA titles.
- Launching alongside a major AAA release can be a strategic advantage because the fear of competition clears the Steam 'New and Trending' list, allowing smaller titles to occupy visibility slots that would otherwise be crowded.
- Chillquarium achieved success by launching on September 6, 2023, the same day as Starfield, which resulted in the game staying on the 'New and Trending' list for a full week due to the lack of competing indie releases.
- Steam visibility is the primary driver of success; Chillquarium's placement on 'New and Trending' generated 750,000 impressions and 40,000 page visits, far exceeding the impact of traditional press coverage.
Understanding Unique & Returning Registered Viewers: A Case on Shroud
The streaming performance of content creator Shroud during September 2023 serves as a case study for the impact of strategic game selection on audience engagement metrics.
- In September 2023, Shroud achieved 2.2 million Unique Registered Viewers (URVs) and 783,000 Returning Registered Viewers (RRVs), ranking him as the second-highest creator in URVs for the month.
- Shroud’s channel generated 5.5 million hours of engagement in September, driven primarily by high-profile releases including Starfield (2 million hours) and CSGO/CS2 (2.1 million hours).
- The channel maintained a consistent performance baseline, with each live session attracting an average of 200,000 unique registered viewers.