player demographics Archives

AppWizard

November 30, 2025

Sektori developer says the response to his Geometry Wars-inspired roguelike has been ‘awesome’, but the game’s sales still leave him ‘with zero salary for 4.5 years’

Sektori, a game released in 2025, has achieved a 97% positive rating on Steam and features Geometry Wars-inspired roguelike mechanics. Developer Kimmo Lahtinen noted the game's unexpected success among a niche audience and highlighted the challenges of achieving commercial success in a competitive market. He observed a disconnect between lengthy game development cycles and the short attention spans of modern users, leading to a trend of quicker, smaller projects. Lahtinen humorously pointed out that the majority of Sektori's players are older gamers, indicating a generational divide in gaming preferences. The game's design philosophy intentionally limits explanations of mechanics to encourage player exploration, although some players expressed a desire for more clarity. Lahtinen is currently working on a patch to address minor issues, including a difficulty spike during the first boss battle.

AppWizard

September 23, 2025

Report: Borderlands 4 has sold 1.3m copies on Steam

Borderlands 4 has sold over 1.3 million copies on Steam and more than 2.5 million units overall since its launch on September 12th. The game generated over million in revenue on Steam and exceeded 0 million across all platforms. Over half of its players are from the United States, with China, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada as the next largest markets. The Borderlands franchise is approaching 100 million copies sold across all titles. There have been reports of technical issues with the game, prompting discussions about the public relations strategy of Gearbox's CEO, Randy Pitchford.

AppWizard

July 31, 2025

Space Marine 2 publisher says even he ‘didn’t believe that we could hit 7 million unique players,’ but it’s proof that players are hungry for sicko games: ‘When the execution is right, it ends up resonating with many more people’

Pullup Entertainment has seen a quarterly revenue increase of over 130% compared to the previous year, driven by titles like Farming Simulator and Space Marine 2, as well as contributions from in-house studios such as Deck 13 and Dovetail Games. CEO Geoffroy Sardin noted that the game development industry is facing challenges with projects that have limited return on investment struggling to secure financing, leading to a necessary adjustment towards growth. He highlighted the financial risks and long development cycles associated with triple-A games, suggesting that this environment favors mid-budget and indie games. Sardin emphasized the advantages of double-A and indie games, which allow for greater budget control, creativity, and faster market entry. Pullup's success is attributed to its focus on creating targeted games for specific player demographics, particularly within the passionate PC gaming community. Sales data from Steam indicates a growing interest in double-A and indie games in 2023, with recent releases like Roadcraft exceeding expectations.

AppWizard

July 15, 2025

Ancient Aliens vs Predator game briefly resurrected by Steam player thirst for Six Packs

A dormant space hulk on a forgotten planetoid contains remnants of a past era, including desiccated hand monsters and abandoned Pulse Rifles. The vessel is identified as the 2010 sequel to Alien Vs Predator, which has seen a resurgence in player engagement, reaching around five thousand concurrent players due to a community-run server. This revival is partly driven by the pursuit of a rare achievement called The Six Pack, which requires players to participate in a ranked match with six friends. The original multiplayer scene struggled, with only 2.2% of players achieving this milestone. The resurgence highlights the positive impact of proactive measures by publishers to sustain online games post-official support. The 1999 installment of Alien Vs Predator is noted for its atmospheric lighting and iconic film set adaptations, while the 2010 version has received mixed reviews, with some players expressing renewed interest due to community initiatives. The game has garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, with humorous commentary suggesting a more accurate title reflecting the player demographics.

AppWizard

March 19, 2025

Report: There are 908 Million PC Gamers

Ben Porter, Director at NewZoo, reported that the number of PC gamers increased from 873.5 million in 2023 to 907.5 million in 2024, surpassing the console market's estimated 653.1 million players. The majority of player hours in 2024 were spent on older live service games, with 67 percent dedicated to titles six years or older, 25 percent to games aged two to five years, and only eight percent to newer games under two years old. The most played titles included Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Counter-Strike 2 at 7.1 percent of total hours, League of Legends at 6.4 percent, Roblox at 6.2 percent, Dota 2 at 5.8 percent, and Fortnite at 5.4 percent.