player engagement

AppWizard
July 22, 2025
Destiny 2 climbed five positions to secure the No. 3 spot on Steam following the launch of its expansion, The Edge of Fate, on July 15th. Counter-Strike 2 is the highest-grossing title on Steam, followed by PUBG: Battlegrounds in second place. Umamusume: Pretty Derby rose 11 spots to No. 4 due to a 60 percent discount. Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond climbed 74 positions to No. 9 after releasing new content. Marvel Rivals rose to No. 5, while Steam Deck dropped to No. 6. Peak remained at No. 7, and Apex Legends climbed to No. 8 after a mid-season patch. RimWorld dropped to No. 10. The Steam Top Ten for the week ending July 22nd includes: Counter-Strike 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Destiny 2, Umamusume: Pretty Derby, Marvel Rivals, Steam Deck, Peak, Apex Legends, Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, and RimWorld.
AppWizard
July 19, 2025
This week, over 20 games launched on Steam, accumulating more than 50,000 wishlists, with nine titles exceeding 100,000 wishlists. The Switch eShop has introduced new publishing guidelines in Asia regarding game bundles and content restrictions. Roblox is enhancing its safety platform with new features for players aged 13 and above. Star Wars Battlefront II's recent Steam revenue is estimated at millions, contributing to its overall success. Subnautica 2 has a wishlist total of 2.48 million amid a lawsuit against Krafton. The American Time Use survey shows individuals spend an average of 34 minutes on games and computers for leisure. Valve has improved wishlist data updates on Steam, but some users reported bugs in their charts. Payment providers like PayPal have restricted payments for certain extreme adult-themed games on Steam, prompting Valve to clarify its content policies.
AppWizard
July 17, 2025
In Powerhoof's game The Drifter, players control Mick Carter, a drifter traveling across Australia to attend his mother's funeral. He becomes embroiled in a mystery after witnessing a reporter's kidnapping and being framed for murder. The game features a mix of grounded and surreal elements, with stunning pixel art and exceptional voice acting. Players must solve various puzzles and navigate challenges, including escaping monsters and evading law enforcement. The gameplay employs simplified point-and-click mechanics, though the expanding map can lead to repetitive exploration. The puzzles are generally straightforward, avoiding overly convoluted logic, and the game maintains an engaging pace throughout.
AppWizard
July 16, 2025
Management simulation game RimWorld has returned to the Steam Top Ten, reaching No. 3 after a 58-position surge due to the launch of its Odyssey DLC and a 20 percent discount. The Odyssey DLC became the fifth highest-selling title for the week. The Steam Top Ten for the week ending July 15th includes: 1. Counter-Strike 2, Valve 2. PUBG: Battlegrounds, Krafton 3. RimWorld, Ludeon Studios 4. Steam Deck, Valve 5. RimWorld - Odyssey, Ludeon Studios 6. Marvel Rivals, NetEase 7. Peak, Aggro Crab 8. Destiny 2, Bungie 9. Naraka: Bladepoint, NetEase 10. Dead by Daylight, Behaviour Interactive
AppWizard
July 16, 2025
Mojang announced the discontinuation of its annual summer updates and the mob vote, leading to initial frustration among players. However, nearly a year later, the game's update strategy has resulted in a thriving Minecraft community. Recent updates include the Pale Garden Biome with the Creaking mob, the Vibrant Visuals update with shaders, the Chase the Skies update featuring the Happy Ghast, and the Spring to Life update adding biome variants for pigs and cows, craftable saddles, and the Copper Golem. The last major update under the previous format, the Tricky Trails update, was considered underwhelming. The shift away from cohesive themes has allowed for more frequent and diverse content updates, with five major updates released in the past year. This new approach has revitalized the game, enhancing player engagement and creativity.
AppWizard
July 15, 2025
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
July 13, 2025
Owlcat Games has released a substantial update, version 1.4.1, for Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader alongside the expansion Lex Imperialis. The update introduces the new party character, Arbites officer Solomorne Anthar, earlier in the narrative to enhance gameplay and player engagement. Despite these improvements, the studio faces challenges in meeting audience expectations, as reflected in mixed reviews on Steam. The hope is that future releases will be more polished, allowing the studio's creativity to shine without issues like bugs and imbalances.
AppWizard
July 10, 2025
Peak has sold over 4.5 million copies within three weeks of its launch on June 16th. It sold two million copies in nine days and reached a peak of 114,492 concurrent players on Steam. The studio broke even within the first few hours of release and reached 1.6 million copies sold within the first week. The team attributes their success to community support, referred to as the Power of Friendship.
AppWizard
July 10, 2025
Star Wars Battlefront 2 rose 123 spots in the US best-selling games chart in May 2025, reaching the 12th position after being 135th in April. This surge is attributed to the celebration of Star Wars Day and increased calls for a sequel, with peak concurrent players on Steam hitting 35,892, up from 10,489 in 2021. The game became the fifth best-selling game on PC, surpassing titles like Black Ops 6 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Despite this resurgence, EA is focusing on franchises like Battlefield, The Sims, Skate, and Apex Legends, raising doubts about the development of Star Wars Battlefront 3.
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