player engagement Archives

AppWizard

March 30, 2025

Obsidian snuck goodies and secrets around every corner to make exploring Avowed feel worthwhile: ‘If you have a lot of dead ends that lead nowhere, you learn the lesson as a player: This game doesn’t have much to offer me’

The game Avowed rewards players for exploration by embedding hidden treasures throughout its environments, including vendor items and upgrade materials. It features a parkour system that encourages players to explore vertically-oriented levels without restrictions, leading to unexpected discoveries. Notable secrets include a concealed sewer beneath the starting docks with challenging enemies and a unique item, as well as a chest in Shatterscarp that has a creative loot interaction. The game is designed to ensure that exploration leads to meaningful discoveries, countering the negative impact of dead ends. The team aims to provide worthwhile rewards for side paths and explorations, fostering curiosity among players. Avowed is considered a strong contender for game of the year, and there are hints of potential DLC and a future release of The Outer Worlds 2 in 2025.

AppWizard

March 26, 2025

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is reportedly the franchise’s second biggest launch

Assassin's Creed Shadows has become the second-largest launch in the franchise's history, achieving impressive Day One sales figures, second only to Valhalla. The game saw 27 percent of its activations from sales and downloads through subscription services, with Steam playing a significant role in its success on PC. Within two days of its release, Shadows attracted two million players, including one million users within hours of launch.

AppWizard

March 25, 2025

What is the Minecraft update for 2025? Ghast lore, capes and a new live event

Mojang Studios announced multiple game drops for Minecraft in 2025, coinciding with the release of "A Minecraft Movie" on April 4. The first update, titled "Spring to Life," will launch on March 25 and introduce new mob variants, a firefly bush, falling leaf particles, leaf litter, new wildflower types, ambient sounds, and changes to loadstone crafting. A special in-game Live Event tied to the movie will run from March 25 to April 7, 2025, featuring mini-games and exclusive rewards. The second game drop will introduce the dried ghast block in the Nether, which can be rehydrated into a friendly "happy ghast." There will not be a traditional 1.22 update this year; instead, a series of game drops will occur throughout 2025.

AppWizard

March 23, 2025

Assassin’s Creed Shadows hits 2 million players, putting it on track to be the series’ most successful game yet

Assassin's Creed Shadows has gained over 2 million players just three days after its launch, surpassing the launches of AC Origins and Odyssey. It reached 1 million players within the first 24 hours, breaking the record previously held by AC Valhalla. Currently, Shadows has around 60,000 concurrent players, nearing Odyssey's record of 62,069. Ubisoft is in discussions with Tencent for a potential investment in a new intellectual property unit that includes the Assassin's Creed franchise. The game has received approximately 81.7% favorable reviews on Steam, with PC Gamer rating it at 80%.

AppWizard

March 21, 2025

PC Gamers Only Spent 8 Percent Of Their Time Playing New Games Last Year, Report Claims

Recent insights from Newzoo indicate that in 2024, only 8 percent of gaming hours were spent on newly released PC games, with players favoring older titles. Iconic games like Roblox, League of Legends, and Fortnite accounted for 67 percent of total PC playtime, while games released two to five years ago made up 25 percent. In contrast, new releases from 2024 captured only 8 percent of playtime. On consoles, 44 percent of PlayStation playtime and 49 percent of Xbox playtime were attributed to games released six or more years ago, with console gamers dedicating 15 percent of their time to new titles. The competition for player engagement is intense, making it difficult for new games to gain attention despite their quality.

AppWizard

March 19, 2025

Analysts reveal a vast majority of PC gamers are shying away from games released in the last few years

The PC gaming sector has surpassed consoles in popularity, with the number of PC gamers increasing from approximately 873.5 million in 2023 to 907.5 million in 2024, while console players number around 653 million. A report by Newzoo indicates that 92 percent of PC gamers prefer older titles, with 67 percent of player hours in 2024 spent on games released six years ago or more. Popular older PC titles include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive/Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Roblox, Dota 2, and Fortnite. The report highlights the growing popularity of live service and free-to-play games, which are favored for their revenue generation potential through microtransactions or subscriptions. Newzoo's findings will be presented at the Game Developers Conference, focusing on player engagement and revenue models projected for 2025.

AppWizard

March 19, 2025

Report: An Overwhelming Majority of PC Gamers Prefer Older Video Games

Players dedicated 15% of their total gaming time to newly released titles in 2024, 47% to games released within the last one to seven years, and 37% to titles released eight years ago or earlier. There is a perceived decline in the quality of AAA games released in 2024, with high-profile launches failing to excite many gamers.

AppWizard

March 17, 2025

I played the notoriously ratings-board-ravaged Manhunt 2 and was quite glad for the censorship actually

Rockstar Games was highly productive in the past, releasing over two titles each year, including notable games like Manhunt 2, Vice City Stories, Bully, GTA 4, and Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Over eight years, they produced four interpretations of Los Angeles, including GTA 5, San Andreas, and LA Noire. Manhunt 2 became a cultural artifact, generating controversy that influenced its marketing and public perception, particularly after being linked to a teenage murder incident. This led to significant censorship of the game before its release, resulting in a less graphic version. The PC version remains the only platform with the original takedown animations, while the PSP version offers a more sanitized experience. The audio elements of the game contribute significantly to its horror experience. The absence of a scoring system in Manhunt 2, which was present in the original, diminished player engagement. The game's narrative was perceived as predictable, and the character Danny Lamb appeared passive. Manhunt 2 is noted as one of the last pure stealth experiences from a major studio, marking a shift in the genre towards action hybrids.

AppWizard

March 15, 2025

Why GTA 6 will release on PC but likely not on launch day

GTA 6 has been officially confirmed for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with speculation about a PC version. Take-Two Interactive has hinted that a PC release is likely, although no official announcement has been made. The CEO of Take-Two indicated that the company typically focuses on console launches first. Historically, Rockstar has delayed PC releases for major titles, with GTA 5 launching on PC 18 months after its console release and Red Dead Redemption 2 launching 13 months later. This pattern suggests that GTA 6 may launch on consoles in Fall 2025, with a PC version expected between late 2026 and early 2027. The popularity of GTA Online and Rockstar's acquisition of Cfx.re, a key player in the modding community, further support the likelihood of a PC release.

AppWizard

March 11, 2025

Top 20 Most Popular Steam Games Of All Time

Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds is the fifth most popular game on Steam, with a peak of over 1.38 million concurrent players. The top games on Steam are ranked by peak concurrent user counts, which include both free-to-play and paid games. A unique entry called Banana allows players to click a banana to earn new ones. Call of Duty HQ aggregates multiple Call of Duty titles. GTA 5 is absent from the top contenders due to its division into two titles: GTA V Legacy with a peak of 364,548 players and GTA V Enhanced with 187,059 players, which together exceed 551,000 players, placing them within the top 20.