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The new Rusty Lake game is a grim, sinister tale of family, destiny, and cooking: I fed a man porridge filled with dead bugs and he told me it tasted good
AppWizard
August 18, 2026

The new Rusty Lake game is a grim, sinister tale of family, destiny, and cooking: I fed a man porridge filled with dead bugs and he told me it tasted good

Rusty Lake's "Servant of the Lake" is a point-and-click puzzle adventure game that explores themes of familial obligation and tradition in a rural setting. The gameplay is linear, with predetermined paths and an emphasis on uncovering secrets rather than making significant choices. The game has received positive feedback, achieving an "overwhelmingly positive" rating on Steam with over 4,500 reviews and a peak of 28,000 concurrent users on its launch day. Rusty Lake co-founder Robin Ras expressed satisfaction with the game's success, which mirrors that of their previous title, "The Past Within." The game is currently available on Steam at a discounted price until August 27, and a free demo is also offered. The studio is planning future projects, including another game titled "Falling Apart."
Perennial early access game Project Zomboid hit a new concurrent player record after a huge map update added reworked towns, a spooky orphanage and '400 procedural basements'
AppWizard
August 2, 2026

Perennial early access game Project Zomboid hit a new concurrent player record after a huge map update added reworked towns, a spooky orphanage and ‘400 procedural basements’

Project Zomboid has released its first major build update since 2021, titled build 42.20, which includes a comprehensive overhaul of Knox County, redesigning seven towns with unique architectural styles and enhanced landscaping. The update introduces new animals, refined hunting and trapping systems, improvements to the stealth system, fishing mechanics, and the ability to drag corpses. The game's price has increased from £16.75 to £22.50, yet it has seen a record-breaking 79,552 concurrent players on Steam. Future updates are expected to reintroduce NPC survivors to Knox County.
How do PC player demographics change at 50 hours vs. 30 minutes?
AppWizard
August 1, 2026

How do PC player demographics change at 50 hours vs. 30 minutes?

GameDiscoverCo newsletter has reached 45,000 subscribers. The Video Game History Foundation launched a ‘history of E3’ collection, including an introductory video, vintage footage, and a podcast. Microsoft reported a decline in Xbox revenue for four consecutive quarters, with Content & Services revenue at approximately .75 billion (down 10% year-over-year) and hardware revenue around million (down 13% year-over-year). Asha Sharma noted over 200 million new players joined Xbox in FY2026, but the business did not grow. PlayStation's PS5 sales reached 95.3 million, with a 1.6 million increase for the quarter but a 36% year-over-year decline. Active PSN users rose to 125 million, and profit surged by 37%. Meta's Reality Labs reported a loss of .6 billion in Q2, despite million in revenue. Slotbound, a roguelike auto-battler game, achieved 50,000 wishlists and 2,900 peak demo concurrent users. Over 1,000 PC games now operate direct channels, saving developers an estimated billion in platform fees in 2025. GameDiscoverCo’s Steam Fan Snapshot data revealed that the average age of players is 31 for Clair Obscur and 25 for R.E.P.O. 37.5% of respondents find games through short-form video, while 27.9% use traditional media websites. Players of ARC Raiders show a strong preference for the Steam Deck, and as playtime increases, console playtime declines.
What 'long tail' should you expect for your PC game in 2026?
AppWizard
July 22, 2026

What ‘long tail’ should you expect for your PC game in 2026?

GameDiscoverCo hosted the 'Scrappy Saves The Animals' game jam in collaboration with the Oakland Ballers on Itch.io, with the top game being Scrappy’s Rescue Run, which will be showcased at an upcoming event. GDCO Pro reported on trending unreleased Steam games, with Dear Passengers leading in wishlists, followed by Paper Shredder and Guildrun. An analysis revealed that AI-flagged games achieve around 3,000 sales, which is 55% of the rate of non-AI titles. The Binding Of Isaac Complete Bundle sold nearly 4 million additional units after a 90% off sale during the Steam Summer Sale. A developer was arrested for injecting malware into Steam games, affecting around 8,000 users and stealing approximately 0,000 in cryptocurrency. Roblox announced a UGC-centric Build feature, raising concerns about predatory offers to creators. Xbox Game Pass added titles like Halo: Campaign Evolved and Beast of Reincarnation. Valve updated SteamVR with a more VR-native interface. Epic Games and Google withdrew a lawsuit settlement attempt that could impact Android app stores. GameDiscoverCo Pro introduced automated graph annotations for Steam demo launches. An analysis of games released between July 2023 and July 2025 showed cumulative sales increases over time, with higher-priced titles having better long-term sales. Multiplayer and co-op games are experiencing promising sales trajectories. The GameDiscover Show has returned, discussing trends in game discovery and insights from GDCo’s AI survey.
Xbox's CEO wants its games to cater to 'more than a billion people each day', or 24 times more than the peak population of Steam, which is delusional
AppWizard
July 6, 2026

Xbox’s CEO wants its games to cater to ‘more than a billion people each day’, or 24 times more than the peak population of Steam, which is delusional

Asha Sharma, the newly appointed CEO of Xbox, announced a goal to achieve 24 times the peak user engagement of Steam, aiming for 984 million active users daily. This ambition follows the closure of several studios and plans to reduce the workforce by 3,200 employees by 2027. Sharma's vision has been met with criticism for its lack of realism, especially given the simultaneous demand for greater output from a smaller team.
Subnautica 2 has sold 2 million copies in 12 hours, with 9x the players as the first, and at this point I figure that Krafton CEO is already on his second bottle
AppWizard
May 16, 2026

Subnautica 2 has sold 2 million copies in 12 hours, with 9x the players as the first, and at this point I figure that Krafton CEO is already on his second bottle

Subnautica 2 sold two million copies within 12 hours of its launch, with one million copies sold in the first hour. Peak concurrent players exceeded 651,000 across platforms, with over 467,000 on Steam. A judge ordered the reinstatement of former CEO Ted Gill due to a breach of contract by Krafton, which must fulfill its financial commitments. The rapid sales of Subnautica 2 may help meet the criteria for the reinstated leadership's payout.
How Poppy Playtime made 'free game, paid DLC' work on PC
AppWizard
May 16, 2026

How Poppy Playtime made ‘free game, paid DLC’ work on PC

GameDiscoverCo held its annual offsite gathering, discussing various industry developments. Footprints.gg reported significant buzz for Forza Horizon 6 ahead of its launch, with GTA 6 also trending due to trailer speculation. Xbox plans include Project Saluki, a new Game Pass tier for the Chinese market, and Positron, potentially introducing a disc-to-digital entitlement program. Steam's bundle discounting interface has sparked discussions about pricing strategies. The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for May includes Star Wars Outlaws and Red Dead Redemption 2. Roblox is experiencing shifts in user-generated content rights and cost models. The Source 2-powered s&box has launched on Steam, but interest is waning. Hushcrasher's analysis indicates rising game production costs are due to project scope rather than base costs. Concurrent user metrics suggest week one sales can reach 20 times peak concurrent users. Poppy Playtime, a horror puzzle game, has expanded from a free title to four paid chapters, with Huggy Wuggy becoming a popular character. Mob Entertainment, founded by brothers with a background in 3D animation, has seen Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 sell 408,000 copies on Steam and 19,000 on Epic Games Store. The free base game has 2.76 million downloads on Steam since the chapter's release. The franchise's revenue from four DLCs exceeds a million on Steam, with potential total revenue approaching 100 million when including console and mobile sales. The development team employs a parallel strategy for annual chapter releases, with varying DLC structures across platforms. The pricing of DLC has increased over time, reflecting greater ambition in production. Game director Bryce Clark emphasizes balancing puzzles and chase sequences to enhance player experience.
Gabe Newell once said Steam wasn't 'the answer to digital distribution,' proving that even Gabe Newell is wrong about stuff sometimes
AppWizard
April 27, 2026

Gabe Newell once said Steam wasn’t ‘the answer to digital distribution,’ proving that even Gabe Newell is wrong about stuff sometimes

Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, integrated Steam with Half-Life 2, significantly influencing PC gaming despite initial skepticism about digital platforms. In a 2011 interview, he warned that the gaming industry is ever-changing and emphasized the need for continuous innovation to provide value to partners like EA, Ubisoft, and Take-Two. At that time, EA's withdrawal of titles from Steam raised concerns about the platform's future, prompting Newell to stress the importance of demonstrating value to developers. Currently, Steam remains a dominant force in digital distribution, maintaining a large user base and benefiting from seasonal sales. Publishers such as EA, Activision, Ubisoft, and Take-Two have returned to Steam after testing their own storefronts and the Epic Games Store, recognizing its extensive reach and user engagement. Steam has recently surpassed 42 million concurrent users and continues to expand its library, all while keeping its revenue-sharing model at a 70/30 split. Despite developer concerns, the return of partners indicates that Steam's value proposition is still strong.
After a slow start, Last Flag developer says you can't become the next big hit just by ticking boxes: 'It’s a slippery slope'
AppWizard
April 25, 2026

After a slow start, Last Flag developer says you can’t become the next big hit just by ticking boxes: ‘It’s a slippery slope’

Night Street Games, co-founded by Dan and Mac Reynolds, launched a 5v5 multiplayer shooter called Last Flag, inspired by the capture the flag game mode. The game has received positive reviews on Steam and is priced affordably, but it debuted with fewer than 600 concurrent users, which has since decreased. Mac Reynolds emphasized the studio's focus on creative integrity over chasing trends, aiming to provide a unique gaming experience. Despite the commitment to a creative vision, the game faces challenges in attracting a substantial player base, similar to other recent titles that struggled to maintain engagement. Reynolds believes success should not be solely measured by player numbers, highlighting the team's pride in their work.
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