indie sensation Archives

AppWizard

April 9, 2025

Xbox’s South of Midnight Fails to Resonate with PC Gamers

South of Midnight has not resonated with the PC gaming community as anticipated, but its availability on Xbox Game Pass may improve its reception on consoles. There is a lack of transparent player data from Xbox, making it difficult to assess the game's performance. The game's peak player count is 1.4K, which is disappointing compared to other titles. In contrast, the indie game Schedule I has reached a peak of 459K players.

AppWizard

November 17, 2024

Xbox chief calls recent PC exclusives an “anomaly,” reaffirms Xbox ecosystem goals

Microsoft's upcoming game releases for fall include several major titles debuting as PC exclusives, such as World of Warcraft: The War Within expansion, Ara: History Untold, and Towerborne, which will not be available on Xbox consoles initially. Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft's gaming division, described this PC-centric approach as a temporary "anomaly" and emphasized the company's goal of making games accessible across various platforms within the Xbox ecosystem. He stated the intention for ownership across cloud, PC, and console platforms. Spencer expressed optimism about potential cross-platform play with Sony's PlayStation and clarified that the PC exclusives are tied to specific reasons, such as the World of Warcraft expansion's PC roots and Towerborne's early access launch. He reassured fans that this is not the new standard and highlighted the upcoming Diablo 4 DLC as an example of cross-ecosystem availability. Spencer also confirmed that a long-rumored Xbox handheld device is in development and that the Xbox team is exploring a Microsoft mobile game store, which has been delayed for further market research.

AppWizard

October 24, 2024

Sorry if this sounds shallow, but I do care about how long a game is before buying it

The debate over game length and its value has been a long-standing topic among gamers, developers, and journalists. This discussion gained momentum with the release of indie games like Gone Home in 2013, which challenged traditional expectations regarding price and length. Games such as The Order 1886 faced criticism for their short campaigns relative to their price, while Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart also received backlash for its runtime despite a premium cost. Players often prefer longer gameplay experiences, as seen in popular genres like immersive sims and open-world RPGs, but shorter games can still be appreciated for their artistic qualities. The value perception of games is influenced by their length, with titles like Vampire Survivors and Helldivers 2 praised for their substantial content at lower prices. Personal preferences for intricate gameplay systems over narrative-driven experiences can affect purchasing decisions. However, there are exceptions where the quality of a shorter game, such as Disco Elysium, can outweigh its length. Ultimately, gamers have diverse expectations, and disappointment can arise when a game does not meet perceived value based on its cost and duration.

AppWizard

October 22, 2024

CHARTS: Throne and Liberty hits No.2 on Steam

Amazon and NCSoft's MMO, Throne and Liberty, has risen to No. 2 in the weekly rankings after its launch on October 1st, attracting three million players in its first week and achieving a peak concurrent player count of 336,300. Counter-Strike 2 remains the highest-grossing title on Steam, while Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has dropped to third place. PUBG: Battlegrounds is now fifth, and Liar's Bar has entered the Top Ten at No. 6. EA Sports FC 25 is seventh, DayZ has re-entered the Top 100 at eighth, Dota 2 is ninth, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 rounds out the Top Ten.

AppWizard

September 3, 2024

Risk of Rain 2’s creators, along with ‘many other’ devs from Hopoo, have been snapped up by Valve—which means the end of the studio’s unannounced game

Risk of Rain 2 and its predecessors have gained popularity in the gaming community, with the original game developed by Duncan Drummond and Paul Morse becoming an indie hit. The sequel, released in 2019, had 500,000 players during its early access phase. In 2022, the Risk of Rain intellectual property was transferred from Hopoo Games to Gearbox. Founders Drummond and Morse, along with other team members, announced they are joining Valve for game development, which led to the cancellation of their unannounced project "Snail." The team expressed mixed emotions about this transition but remains committed to making games. The collaboration with Valve is anticipated to produce exciting results, despite the disappointment over the cancellation of "Snail." Valve has released several titles in recent years, indicating a revitalization of their development efforts.

Winsage

May 9, 2024

Animal Well is the latest hit indie game to blow up Steam, has glowing reviews, and is on sale for a sweet launch discount

- The indie game "Animal Well" has received universal acclaim with a 91/100 score on Metacritic and 15 positively scored critic reviews. - "Animal Well" is available on Steam, PS5, and Nintendo Switch, but not on Xbox. - The game is a Metroidvania created by solo developer Billy Basso and published by Bigmode. - Players take on the role of a small protagonist navigating a dense, interconnected labyrinth and outwitting creatures. - The game is currently on sale on Steam with a 10% discount until May 23. - "Animal Well" has quickly climbed to fourth place on Steam's Top Sellers list after its launch.