‘Old’ fashionable games change the games market – 04/10/2024 – Tech

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The gaming industry is going through an unusual time. Million-dollar investments are announced amid major launches, which become public and critical successes. Still, companies go through waves of layoffs, studios are closed and projects are cancelled.

In a report on the console and PC market published on the 2nd, consultancy Newzoo shows some data that helps explain this phenomenon.

Post-pandemic downturn

With much of the world stuck at home, the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a sudden increase in the time people spend playing video games. Since then, however, this reality has been changing. According to Newzoo, people are playing games 26% less compared to the first quarter of 2021.

According to the consultancy, this trend should continue in 2024, especially due to the forecast of a leaner launch catalog for this year compared to 2023.

Old games still in fashion

Although most studios spend more time and resources on new releases, these are not always the titles that most attract consumers. In 2023, players spent more than 60% of the time playing games released more than six years ago.

In 2022, players spent an average of 57% of their time on games older than 6 years and in 2021, 45%. “It’s a big change,” said Rob Fahey, editor of GamesIndustry.biz in his column. “For decades, this was an industry driven almost exclusively by novelty.”

Domain of “games as a service“

This trend is mainly the result of the success of titles with “games as a service” characteristics. Released more than six years ago, “Fortnite”, “Roblox”, “League of Legends”, “Minecraft” and “GTA V” captured 27% of gamers’ gaming time in 2023.

The number is higher than the 23% of time dedicated to more than 1,400 games released less than years ago. A number that drops dramatically to 8% if franchise titles with annual releases, such as “Call of Duty” and “Fifa”, are disregarded.

Income concentration

This scenario means that the resources that players spend on games are concentrated in a few games. According to research, only 43 titles captured 90% of the resources spent on new games in 2023. The remaining 10% was divided between more than 1,400 launches.

In other words, even with a 2.6% growth in the global gaming market for PCs and consoles in 2023, very few developers saw their games do well.

Hostile scenario

The numbers paint a hostile scenario for those who want to enter the games market. Many investors and companies that were encouraged by the sector’s good results during the pandemic are now experiencing a reality check, resulting in layoffs and divestment.

Even long-standing companies in the sector have difficulty adapting to changes in the way people are consuming their products.

“[Essa nova realidade] It creates the need for some executives to calm down and get used to the idea that their products will be out in the world, being appreciated, and not making you a dime, because you already got your pennies from that sale,” says Fahey.

The games market is large and continues to grow, but it is increasingly difficult to stand out in it.

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Play

game tip, new or old, for you to try

Balatro

(PC, Switch, PS 4/5 and Xbox One/X/S)

Created by Canadian solo developer LocalThunk, “Balatro” mixes poker with roguelike elements to create an addictive game. In it, in each round, the player needs to form a poker hand to reach the score established in the phase. Throughout each session, you can improve your cards with special powers and buy jokers, which give different advantages and can interact with each other, creating powerful combos. If the objective is not achieved, the player loses all new cards and needs to start the loop over from scratch, but with new cards unlocked for the next attempt.

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Update

news, launches, business and what matters most

• The head of Roblox Studios, Stefano Corazza, responded in an interview with the website Eurogamer to accusations that the platform exploits child labor by withholding part of the resources that children earn when they create games on the platform. For him, “15-year-old teenagers living in slums in Indonesia” do not see being able to create something and support themselves with it as exploitation, but as “a gift”.

• After publishing the interview, the company sent a note to the publication arguing that “Roblox” is an educational tool and that the vast majority of content creators on the platform are of legal age.

• Apple has changed the rules of its virtual store and will now allow retro video game emulators to be made available on the App Store. Under the new rules, developers of these programs will be responsible for making sure their programs do not violate legislation.

• The Brazilian game “Wonderbox” has no longer been playable since the 4th. The end of support for the game was announced less than a week before, on March 28th. The title was developed by Aquiris, now Epic Games Brasil, a studio that since its purchase by the American company has dedicated itself exclusively to “Fortnite” games.

• YouTuber Ross Scott started a campaign called “Stop Killing Games” after Ubisoft shut down the servers of the racing game “The Crew”, making the title unplayable. The campaign asks governments to take measures to prevent “live service” games from becoming inaccessible to their buyers.

• Take-Two (publisher of “GTA V”) acquired Gearbox (developer of the “Borderlands” series) for US$460 million (R$2.3 billion). The company belonged to the Embracer Group and its sale is part of the restructuring process the group is going through.

• After the sale, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors stated in a meeting with investors that the company’s restructuring is over. Throughout the process, the company cut 1,400 jobs and closed three studios, in addition to selling Gearbox and Saber Interactive (from “World War Z”).

• Images from a new multiplayer Sonic game leaked on the internet. With the title “Sonic Toys Party”, the new game would be a “battle royale” in the style of “Fall Guys” for mobile devices, scheduled for release in the middle of the year.

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Download

games that will be launched in the next few days and promotions that are worth it

11.apr

“Let’s! Revolution!”: R$59.99 (Switch), R$74.95 (Xbox One/X/S), price not available (PS 4/5)

“Slave Zero X”: R$ 92.45 (Switch)

April 16

“Grounded”: R$ 159.20 (Switch), R$ 214.90 (PS 4/5)

“Harold Halibut”*: price not available (PC, PS 5, Xbox X/S)

“Planet of Lana”: R$64.50 (PS 4/5), R$67.45 (Switch)

*Available on Xbox Game Pass