There's barely time to breathe between Steam events and sales lately. However, if you have a virtual reality headset and are hankering for some pre-Christmas gaming, you might want to check out ??the Steam VR Fest next w??eek.

The latest video on the Steam YouTube channel breaks down what you can expect between December 4 and December 11. There's not a whole lot that needs to be explained, to be hones??t. It's a Steam event. It caters to VR games. You know the score.

As for what's involved, the teaser shows off clips from games like Among Us VR, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, Elite Dangerous, Golf It!, and Tetris Effect: Connected. How you play a virtual reality version of Tetris, I'm not sure. But these are the times we live ??in.

Steam work makes the dream work

While these Steam events have been pretty short, lasting about a week or a few days, many of us are still recovering from the last one. The Autumn Sale took place at the end of November, and we still have the big Wi?nt??er event to come.

Can't complain, of course. I've got a laundry list of games on my wishlist that I ?wouldn't mind buying at a lower price. If waiting until a Steam sale is the way to do?? it, then so be it.

Plus, with virtual reality still finding its footing in the market, the VR Fest is a great way those who have a headset to test out their hardware. I would get a virtual reality kit myself, but I can't justify the cost. Although, with Taskmaster getting its own VR game, maybe it's time to make the leap.

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It feels like Steam has some sort of sales event almost on a weekly basis. Recently, we had the Scream Fest to celebrate Halloween, an?d now we're getting another one as we head towards ??the tail end of November.

As always with these things, we can never be 100% sure of what games will b??e discounted. However, if you take a look at the video below, there are a few major titles that do crop up, suggesting they will part of Steam's next sale.

We're treated to clips from the likes of Hitman 3, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Sons of the Forest, The Last of Us: Part 1, and even Starfield. The Autumn event begins November 21 and goes through until?? November 28, and with such a line-up, it looks like it'll be an interesting one to keep an eye on.

It's been quite the year

As we edge ever closer to the closing weeks of 2023, many of us will start reflecting on the last twelve months that have been and gone. While this year has been great for video game releases, a lot of joy has been sullied by the ongoing (and rather brutal) layoffs that have occurred across the industry in general.

As such, it's been quite the rollercoaster, but thi??ngs seem to be trundling along unabated, and the Steam Aut??umn sale event is just one example.

Of course, Christmas is coming up soon, so we'll be seeing the Winter sale go live over the holiday period. Nothing like a ruck of discounted games at a time when everyone's spending too much money ??anyway.

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Halloween is upon us, and Steam is still going strong w?ith a spooky weeklong sale. If you're not in the?? mood to wear a costume and consume a questionable amount of candy, you may find entertainment in Steam’s latest deals until November 2.

Steam Scream: The Revenge �the sale's formal title �lets players get up to 90% off on a wide selection of scary games. Although these deals end soon, the daily free rewards from the Points Shop ??as well as the discounted video game??s are worth a look if you haven't glanced at it yet.

While there are many standout video games you can purc?hase in this sale, here are 10 titles I recommend for those looking to get the most scares for their buck:

• Inside - $1.99 (90% off)
• Black Mesa - $3.99 (80% off)
• Amnesia: The Dark Descent - $3.99 (80% off)
• Back 4 Blood - $11.99 (80% off)
• Pathologic 2 - $6.99 (80%)
• Darkwood - $3.74 (75% off)
• Duskers - $9.99 (50% off)
• Rusty Lake Hotel - $1.19 (40% off)
• Amnesia: The Bunker - $18.74 (25% off)
• Signalis - $15.99 (20% off)

If nothing listed here interests you, Steam will host some other larger scale sales in the near future. On November 21, Steam will launch its Autumn Sale. Furthermore, the famous Steam Winter Sale starts on December 21, jus??t before Chris??tmas.

Steam ??Scream: The Revenge is live now, take advant?age of it!

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Also, let Capcom know your thoughts on the game

Whether we like it or love it, the video game industry is in something of a remake enlightenment of some kind. There are, of course, some fantastic remakes and remasters out there, one of which is Resident Evil 4. Not only a great game in its own right but a fantastic reimagining of what many consider to be one of the best horror t?itles in existence.

Since the remake was released in March of this year, Capcom's modern take on RE4 has been a rousing success. In fact, according to the developer, the game has now surpassed five million in sales. The press release on the company website says the Resident Evil 4 remake "provides both fans of the series and newcomers alike with a fresh gameplay e?xperience."

//youtu.be/Id2EaldBaWw

This latest milestone comes just shortly after it was announced that the game had sold four million units. To date, the Resident Evil series has sold around 142 million copies worldwide, going back to its ??first ent??ry in 1996.

What's next?

Resident Evil 4 may be the latest in a list of remakes Capcom is doing, but is it the last? In June, the studio asked what RE fans wanted to see next, and whether anyone was interested in even more remakes. On top of that, a recent shareholder meeting suggested the developer was not necessarily saying no to remaking spin-off Resident Evil games. Then again, they weren't saying yes eithe??r,? so it's still up in the air.

Of course, we can't say for certain what's in store. We're pretty confident in saying that RE9 is probably imminent (though we don't have full confirmation on that yet), and it's possible that Capcom may want to do more reimaginings in the future. A lot of fans would probably like to see an official remake of Code Veronica, for example.

In the meantime, you can let the developer know what you thought of Resident Evil 4 by taking this questionnaire.

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Only that pesky Wii Fit board lies in its path

Last week, Nintendo finally launched its long-awaited Switch sequel The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom �And while Nintendo typically tends to keep its cards close to its chest regarding game sales, the numbers cru?nchers operating the UK Charts have already released some impr??essive stats.

As curated by Gfk, (and reported by GamesIndustry.biz), Tears of the Kingdom saw the second biggest Nintendo launch ever in the UK �that's including all week one sales figures for all Wii, Game Boy, and SNES releases. Regarding revenue, the sky-high sequel is beaten out only by the 2007 exerciser Wii Fit, due to the expanded price of the Wii Fit Board peripheral. In terms of units sold, Tears of the Kingdom sits in fourth place after Wii Fit, and the combined sales taken from sibling Pokemon titles, such as Pokemon Sun & Moon or Pokemon Sword & Shield.

Essentially, when viewed from a non-peripheral, non-double-pack standpoint, Tears of the Kingdom essentially had the biggest UK launch in Nintendo history �And that's just referencing physical sales in one territory. When you factor in the success that was no doubt seen across th weekend in Japan and North America, then Tears of the Kingdom looks set to be an absolute all-timer for Nintendo, definitely resting in the premier lea??gue of the comp??any's sales charts.

This is emphasized by industry analyst Mat Piscatella, who suggests that Nintendo's latest could find itself lingering in the sales charts "for years", much like its Switch sibling Mario Kart 8.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Tears of the Kingdom is the sec?ond biggest Nintendo launch in UK hi??story [GamesIndustry.biz]

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It's always nice to see the little guys win

Dwarf Fortress has been a little engine that could in the games industry for decades, and after its full release in December, the title is finally seeing some well deserved success. It's only been out for a month, but Dwarf Fortress has managed to amass over 500,000 sales on Steam, which is a pretty big deal for a game with such humble beginnings. ??This number was developer Bay 12 Games' two month sales goal, meaning the team crushed it twice as quickly as they thought they would. What's more, the game has received the coveted "overwhelmingly positive" reception on the platform with well o?ver 15,000 reviews.

Dwarf Fortress' origins stretch all the way back to 2002, when it was conceived as freeware. Thanks to the tireless work of the game's two man development team -- brothers Tarn and Zach Adams -- and donations to keep the project afloat, Dwarf Fortress launched its first alpha edition in 2006. The game garnered a cult following over the years, is said to have influenced titles like Minecraft and RimWorld, and was even featured i??n a 2012 exhibit on the history of gaming at the famed Modern Museum of Art.?? Its completion and final release on December 6, 2022 marked a big moment in gaming history for a lot of people.

[caption id="attachment_356932" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Bay 12 Games[/caption]

The game itself features a combination of construction and management simulation mechanics, as well as rogue-like elements. A game with such a rich history begets complexity in its gameplay, because while its a notoriously complicated game to learn, it's an incredibly rewarding experience -- even with the random encounters that can wipe out your carefully-planned settlement in the blink of an eye. The Steam reviews are full of hilarious tales that naturally emerged as players worked their way through the game, and I think that's a rea?l testament to some awesome game desig?n.

[Featured Image via Bay 12 Games]

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And that's not even including The Big N

As the year's end shuffles into view, number-crunching firms are taking a look back at the last 12 months to recognize patterns, facts, and figures as they pertain to gaming, retail, prices, sales, and player behavior �And a new report from the statisticians at NewZoo offers up some interesting reading.

NewZoo places its estimate for the global games market value at a staggering $184.4 billio?n USD. This accounts for almost game sales, on PC, console, and mobile platforms. It should also be noted that this already impressive figure does not take into account Nintendo game sales, as the publisher has always been weirdly prudish when i??t comes to revealing its own bottom line.

Of this total market value, $51.8 billion manifested through console games, with a further $38.2 billion pulled in by downloaded/boxed PC titles, and $2.3 billion from browser-based PC games. Of course, mobile gaming takes the lion's share, with a massive $92.2 billion in total revenue. This sector was led by the continued dominance of titles such as TiMi Studios' Honor of Kings, and PUBG Corporation's PUBG Mobile,? which con?tinue to earn billions year-on-year from the global market.

When it comes specifically to console gaming, around 72% of all game sales were digital downloads, with only the remained 28% accounting for physical releases. This continues a trend we have witnessed for many years now, with each consecutive year seeing more and more customers opting for digital game purchases over boxed copies. Again, this figure does not include Nintendo Switch software, which represents perhaps the last real bastion of high-street retail gaming purchases.

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Hot prices for the coldest time of the year

Now that the holidays are upon us, you might be looking for some new games to check out while you have that precious time off. If that sounds like you, make sure to check out Humble Bundle's insane end of year sale, because they have some seriously awesome stuff on there. They have hundreds of games and DLC marked down, including fan favorites like God of War, Hollow Knight, the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, Dying Light 2, Signalis, Deathloop, and Psychonauts 2, just to name a few.

The discounts range anywhere from 10% to 75% off, and I can say as a fan that I was very pleasantly surprised to see some of these games at such low prices. For example, they have Slime Rancher for $5 right now! One of my all-time favorite and most played games Slay the Spire is under $10. You could buy like four games for $20 and be good for the next month or two -- that's pretty good if you ?ask me.

Honestly Humble Bundle has been one of my favorite ways to buy new titles as a baby gamer -- considering I don't usually need to play the newest titles as they drop because I'm still trying to catch up on the best games from like f??our or five years ago, I find that they always have a great sale going on for something in my backlog.

Not only do they have cool sales and pre-packaged bundles of games you can get, but Humble Bundle is also known for using their sales to support all kinds of amazing charities like Charity: Water, Girls Who Code, and One Tree Planted, among others. Since the site's founding back in 2010, they've managed to raise over $200,000,000 for charity through their sales and monthly subscription. They also further spread the love by featuring a different charity on their s?ite each ??month.

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The slimy indie hit returns

Lots of great indie games have been getting a lot of love this year �Stray was Annapurna's biggest launch by far, and Cult of the Lamb had over a million players in a week. Now it looks like Slime Rancher 2 is joining those ranks, because it has reached a big milestone of over 100,000 copies within the first six hours of its release. Nick Popovich, co-founder and CEO of the studio behind the Slime Rancher series Monomi Park, shared a t??weet yesterday thanking fans for making the game a success.

For those who may not be familiar, the first Slime Rancher game came out back in 2017 after about a year of being in early access. In the game, players take on the role of a farmer tasked with collecting and breeding different types of slimes on their very own ranch, all wrapped up in an open-world FPS-style packaging. Critical reception to Slime Rancher was favorable, but over the years it garnered something of a cult following, and got PlayStation and Switch releases years after its initial launch fo?r PC and Xbox.

//twitter.com/Ni??ckPopovich/statu??s/1573097739507875843

Anecdotally, I've seen love for the Slime Rancher series spread through word of mouth more than anything �it's another one of those cozy farming-style games that players just can't seem to get enough of. It's exciting to see the devs put out a sequel to the beloved indie game that has been met with nearly universal praise, because maintaining that momentum can be diffic?ult.

100,000 may seem like a relatively small number compared to some huge launches that can be in the millions, but for an indie studio, that can be life-changing. Here's hoping we continue to see more great thin??gs from Monomi Park, because they've managed to tap into a certain kind of magic that we do?n't see very often.

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The upgraded top-selling games list paints "a more complete picture" of what's hot on Steam

I'm not here to convince you that charts are exciting, but as someone who routinely keeps tabs on the games that are resonating with Steam's massive audience, I was eager to check out the n??ew Steam Charts hub. At a glance, it mi??ght seem like more of a presentation upgrade than anything, but there are some under-the-hood changes.

That said, it's nice to be able to easily bounce between "live charts" for the top-sellers (by revenue), most-played games (including concurrent player counts and daily peaks), and prior weekly charts. Steam now inc?ludes how many weeks a game has been in the Top 100, as well as its rising �or falling �position ??compared to the previous week. Neat!

[caption id="attachment_345757" align="alignnone" width="1902"] _{Steam's top-sellers list shows week-to-week positional changes.}[/caption]

A note on revenue: the top-sellers list "charts how well games are selling right now, including all editions (standard, deluxe, etc) of the game as well as DLC and in-game transactions," according to Valve. "If an individual DLC is selling well enough on its own to make? the chart, we'll show the DLC entry as well so you can see when exciting new game expansions are making a splash."

By lumping together DLC an??d microtransactions, the hope is to present "a more complete picture of which games players are excited about getting into and continuing to play."

Free-to-play games are featured, too. "Tradition?ally our top-sellers charts have only included revenue from premium game purchases, but that was obscuring the hugely popular free?? or inexpensive games in which players purchase season passes, huge expansions, or other forms of new content. This format also lets us combine multiple editions of the same game so as to avoid duplication on the charts."

It's mildly interesting stuff, in general. But for me specifically, Steam charts have been a great way to find out about fast-rising games that were off my radar, which I can then look into and potentially share with the rest of you. (Hang in there, Trombone Champ.)

Seeing ??that 24 million people are online on a random Friday is freaking me out, though.

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Beating out Blu-ray, CDs, and other platforms

The Entertainment Retailer's Association (ERA) has issued statistics charting the UK sales of all "entertainment products" for 2022 so far �and it seems that the British public cannot get enough of Nintendo Switch games, with their physical iteration being th?e highest-grossing media available on the high street.

Boxed Nintendo Switch titles have raked in a healthy £88.7 million (around $102m USD) in revenue since January 1, 2022, outselling PlayStation's PS4 & PS5 releases (£79.6 million) and Xbox One and Series releases (£17.8 million). Away from gaming, Switch titles even outsold other ??forms of physical media, including music CDs (£68.9 million), DVDs (£66.8 million), and Blu-rays (£52.1 million).

Interestingly, vinyl album sales have skyrocketed, and sit in second place with a hefty revenue count of £79.6 million. This is somewhat understandable, as much of the entertainment scene has made the shift to digital formats, whereas vinyl collectors are highly unlikely to make such a move to the digital sphere. Oh, and also, vinyl albu?ms cost a fucking fortune.

"Vinyl’s rise and rise seems unstoppable," notes ERA CEO Kim Bayley. "For a 74-year-old analogue format to eclipse the digital-age technology of games platforms is quite extraordinary. 10 years into its long climb back to favour, the vinyl ??revival is most definitely here to stay."

Ironically, despite sitting on top of the pile, Nintendo Switch UK sales have actually decreased from last year, with sales down around 12% when compared to the same p??????????????????????????eriod in 2021. Of the aforementioned formats, only PlayStation games, Blu-ray, and vinyl saw any growth on the previous year's chart.

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The hit indie game reaches an impressive milestone

Devolver Digital's Cult of the Lamb is the biggest craze on the indie scene right now, and for good reason �it pulls from classics like Animal Crossing and Hades to create a unique mix of management sim and hack-and-slash roguelike gameplay. Not to mention the art style is absolutely adorable, because what's better than a cute little lamb as a cult leader? You can see clear influences from other games and genres, but Cult of the Lamb manages to forge its own path and? create a really unique experience.

It seems that a lot of other players feel the same way I do, because Cult of the Lamb surpassed a million copies sold in its first week alone, according to the game's Twitter page. ?"We are eternally grateful for your devotion and our team is committed to improving game tweaks, fixes, and free major content updates," said developer Massive Monster.

It sounds like the game has a lot of room to gro??w, and the developers have a lot of different ways they could go in the future with new quests, weapons, enemies, decoration items, etc. Whatever they do, though, I have faith it'll be just as fun and satisfying as the base game.

//twitter.com/cultofthelamb/sta??tus/1560265265589325825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1560265265589325825%7Ctwgr%5E3267a27d667bc22849f0db78ec7d2cd2f7dcd0e5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ign.com%2Farticles%2Fdevolvers-cult-of-the-lamb-passes-1-million-players-in-a-week

Kind of ironic that we became fanatics for this game, isn't it? It seems that was their plan all along... But in all seriousness, it's always exciting to see a well-deserving indie game get some love, beca??use teams work so hard to bring them to life.

It's also great to hear that they're working on some content updates, as that will really help the community thrive in the long term, and might help bring even more new players. It sounds like we have a lot to look forward to from the team behind Cult of the Lamb. 

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'We challenged ourselves every step of the way'

Not even two weeks after launch, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course has topped one million sales across PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, according to Studio MDHR.

Considering the usual adoption rate of DLC and expansions �even for popular, beloved games with a wide reach �that's great! Admittedly, the Cuphead DLC had a long time to simmer, and it's a continuati?on of everything that made the original game such a blast.

"This marks an even quicker timeline than it took for the original game to achieve this momentous feat, and we are just beside ourselves with joy and appreciation," studio director and executive producer Maja Moldenhauer said of the sales milestone. "These words certainly do not encompass how grateful we are, but to the amazing Cuphead players wor??ldwide we say nonetheless: thank you from the bot??tom of our hearts."

"From start to finish, The Delicious Last Course wa?s a true labor of love. We challenged ourselves every step of the way to deliver the most ambitious design, animation, and music we had ever created to tell the story of Ms. Chalice, and craft a fitting conclusion to this part of Cuphead and Mugman’s journey."

[caption id="attachment_334549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{The new island is great, but the DLC also elevates the original bosses with Ms. Chalice and new items.}[/caption]

One of the year's best

I didn't necessarily expect to say this, but halfway through the gaming year, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is one of my favorites, and I d??on't foresee it slipping.

It's been wonderful revisiting this cartoon world �not just with an island of tough new bosses, but also with a new character to freshen up the original experience. The snappy nail-biting action is a house favorite, and co-op support only sweetens the deal. No matter how many times we were "jus??t one second away!" from beating a boss, we never lost the drive t??o try again. And, goodness, that final DLC fiend �what a showdown.

Funny enough, I was here five years ago sharing the (eerily similar) news that Cuphead had sold a million copies shortly after its 2017 relea??se. Props to this team.

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It Takes Two to make a thing go right

It Takes Two was one of the best surprises of last year. I'm a strong believer that we just don't have enough couch co-op games out there, and gamers' outpouring of love for It Takes Two confirms that. There are plenty of good reasons why it took home Game of the Year at the 2021's Game Awards, and I think it's great to see such creative titles get the recognition it deserves. It Takes Two has continued to be successful after last year's award season, because this morning, developer Hazelight Studios announced that the game had surpassed 7 million copies s??old.

//tw??itter.com/HazelightGames/status/1545422823899922437

The studio celebrated with a tweet that featured a picture of Cody's voice actor Joseph Balderrama and what appears to be a cardboard cutout of Cutie the elephant. Although Balderrama is lifting Cutie over his head, we're assured in the replies that not??hing untoward is happening... sure, I'll believ?e that when I see it.

It Takes Two is one of the next games up in the long line of film and television adaptations, and we learned a few months ago that the upcoming movie based on the game will be produced by none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Or, more specifically, it's being produced by Seven Bucks Productions, a studio founded by Johnson and Dany Garcia. Still no word on a cast or release date, but it at least gives us something to look forward to. Some fans are hoping for a sequel to the game as well, and I have to admit that "It Takes Two 2" is a pretty funny idea for a title.

Big congrats again to the team behind It Takes Two, because 7 mil??lion copies sold is no small feat. Here's hoping that the game continues to have success in the future, and that Hazelight channels this momentum into another great release in the coming years.

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Ever ready for the next battle

Bandai Namco's foremost fighting title, Tekken 7, has smashed its way to an amazing nine million sales. The impressive number was revealed by Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada on Twitter this morni??ng �the eve of the fifth anniversary of the face smasher's home r?elease.

Originally launching in Japanese arcades way back in 2015, it took two long years for the latest King of Iron Fist Tournament to make its way to PC and console platforms �by which point it had already seen a revamp in the form of 2016's Tekken 7: Fated Retribution. The home port of Tekken 7 was an immediate success when it finally hit the scene on June 2, 2017, and would go on to receive a slew of new characters, stages, modes, and exciting guest stars.

Clearly, Tekken 7 is still pulling in the punters, having sold a further million copies since we last checked in on its sales figures back in November 2021. With a fresh season of fighting game tournaments on the horizon, it looks like Jin Kazama, Nina Williams, Yoshimitsu, and the rest of the Tekken clan are not ready to bow out just yet. And why not? After all, it's a really rad game, and one of the premier titles in the current fighting game scene. With this milestone, the Tekken franchise has now shifted over?? 53 million copies since its inception, way back in 1994.

Tekken 7 is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One. Virtua Fighter 5 fans should note that Tekken-themed costume DLC will be dropping in Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown today, June 1.

//twitter.com/Harada_TEKKEN/st??atus/1531893312306683905?s=20&t=9zSUhISTU8hycAUZnkCHqw

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That's a lot of road trip money

It's hard to believe that Final Fantasy XV is in the rear-view mirror of the Regalia. This is a game where I once had to create a giant checklist to keep track of all of the demos, cross-media projects, DLC, and crossovers. Well, as of this week Square Enix reports that Final Fantasy XV sales have hit a new milestone of 10 million units worldwide.

Square Enix "thanks fans for their continued support" for the game. And continued support it has gotten, from a certain point of view! Even as recently as the past few years, there's been crossovers with other games, including a recurring Final Fantasy XIV event. In a sense, this game refused to die, and earned that 10 mill??ion through sheer force of will. I'm not just talking about the cross-media projects either. Two years after launch it came to PC, where it was met with a flourishing modding community. Then it arrived on Stadia a year later.

Final Fantasy XV is polarizing still, I get it. It has what I can only describe as "Final Fantasy VIII energy," which was also polarizing at the time, and a mixed legacy that endures to this day. Playing through it in a bubble before all the controversy, DLC, and post-launch content delays, I found it to be exceedingly relaxing, among other things. In the eternal "Final Fantasy rankings" debate that's been going on since I can remember (Final Fantasy VI kind of sealed that top spot at r??elease though, and for some, even still): it'll probably end up somewhere in the middle.

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Monster Hunter has the top spot, but Resident Evil spreads the wealth

Resident Evil Village sales numbers have been touted by Capcom for a while now, but thanks to a refresh o??f the "Platinum Titl??es" investor relations page, we have an updated look at how it stacks up to everything else. The Capcom all-time seller list still has Monster Hunter: World in a commanding lead, but there's plenty of Resident Evil to go around.

The vast majority of the list has stayed the same, with one notable exception. So Monster Hunter: Rise jumped up from a previous spot of number seven overall to number five. This pushed down Resident Evil 5 and 6, which both remain on the list. Resident Evil Village managed to crack the top 10 previously and had sales figures of 5.7 million units, and now it pushed up to 6.10, further poised to take the ninth spot from Street Fighter V. It's just a matter of time.

I expect the next update to shake things up a bit more. We could see the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC take up a spot with its own SKU, and it'll be bolstered by a dual launch on both PC and Switch.

Capcom all-time seller list as of May 18, 2022:

1. Monster Hunter: World: 18 million units
2. Resident Evil 7: 10.8m
3. Resident Evil 2 (Remake): 9.6m
4. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne: 9.2m
5. Monster Hunter Rise: 9m
6. Resident Evil 5: 8.2m
7. Resident Evil 6: 8.2m
8. Street Fighter II: 6.3m
9. Street Fighter V: 6.2m
10. Resident Evil Village: 6.1m

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Down on Jollity Farm

'Tis the season for bleating about your business successes, and that includes the anime-lovin' boys 'n' gals over at Marvelous. The Japanese publisher has proudly announced that its farming RPG, Rune Factory 5, has achieved an impressive 500,000 shipment??s and digital sales since its 2021 laun??ch.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq1B5qLpL0k

Originally released in Japan last May, before hitting these shores in March of this year, Rune Factory 5 tasks players with carving out a small niche for themselves within the quaint, sunny village of Rigbarth. As with its predecessors, the sequel combines repetitious farming action with world exploration and social interactions to create a cute, custom, slice-of-life adventure for its players. Rune Factory 5 also features a ??monster-taming mechanic, allowing ranchers to build up their own menagerie.

While Rune Factory 5 has clearly been something of a success, many critics and fans were left a little disappointed by this latest iteration. While players praised the title's calming nature, eye for exploration, and attractive artwork, criticism was leveled at the title for its in-game visuals. Some in the Rune Factory community also expressed frustration at the title's failure to evolve, esse??ntially retreading an almost identical path to the games that came before it.

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We also get a detailed breakdown of what this company actually does now

Konami just released its fina??ncial report for this past fiscal year, and the company is reporting record profits, providing an insight into just how the company conducts business in 2022. Apparently, the Konami Yu-Gi-Oh partnership is a huge part of this story.

Konami's consolidated financial results show a clear increase from the prior fiscal year compared to the recent one (the 12-month period ending in March 2022). In fiscal year 2022, they have an operating profit of 74.4 billion yen, which is up from 36.6 billion yen in FY2021.?? Breaking this down, "digital entertainment" is responsible for 215 billion yen in revenue (before expenses), with amusement ra??king in 19.5 billion yen, gaming is responsible for 25.6 billion, and sports are 42 billion.

The publisher breaks down each portion, noting that "digital entertainment," the most profitable sector, was driven by Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, which "exceeded 30 million downloads" as of April of this year. Baseball partnerships and at least one other Yu-Gi-Oh game (Rush Duel) are also responsible for propping up the company. It's wild that there's a whole mobile microtransaction-driven Yu-Gi-Oh universe out t??here and Konami is the one that's in control of it.

"Amusement" consists of their Bemani (DDR) arcade games (including cloud streaming pivoting), as well as quiz show partnerships, and of course, pachinko parlor operations. "Gaming and systems" mostly deals with traditional arcade cabinets, on top of the Synkros casino management system. As for sports,?? Konami was "appointed by the local governments of Yokohama, Fukuoka and Kyoto as the operator for the cities�sports facilities" as of April of this year, among t??heir other partnerships in the industry.

In terms of what they have planned for the rest of 2022, their "full slate" involves yet another Yu-Gi-Oh game (Cross Duel), as well as the game Shinepost (mobile), and the highly-anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, which yes, Konami is publishing.

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"Year after year growth driven by live services"

Alongside of Nintendo and Capcom, EA also dropped its financial report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022 �and we can glean a few th??ings from the EA financials dump? beyond the raw numbers.

Most notably, under EA's revenue gains, it cites "year after year growth driven by live services, particularly in mobile, and the strong launch slate in the second half." The three games specifically called out for part of the success are Apex Legends (with 40% booking increases year over year), FIFA (which has "over 150 million accounts," with FIFA 22 serving as "the most successful game in franchise history"), and the Lord of the Rings series as a whole (now you can see why they just announced yet another LOTR tie-in this week). Battlefield 2042 is practically absent from the entire report, as EA continues to sweep it under the rug: even Battlefield V, which came out in 2018, got a direct mention. It Takes Two go??t an "award season-esque" shoutout, as EA points out that it "won over 90 awards" in the report.

In terms of what they're gearing up for in the 2023 fiscal year, Apex Legends Mobile (which is set to arrive this month) is allegedly out soon, and the beta for The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth will roll out later this year.

They also have "four titles scheduled in Q4:FY23 that have not yet been publicly disclosed," so ??expect at least one of those to be announced during the summer void E3 left. Here is the breakdown of what all o?f those entail:

• A major IP
• A "partner title"
• A remake
• A sports title

The Dead Space remake already exists, but given that it's still in active development and is openly announced and not named in the EA financials report, it could be ??something else entirely.

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Also, Resident Evil Village hit a new milestone

Today, Capcom dumped its financial earnings report on us for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. It wasn't as much of a deep dive as Nintendo's recent report, but there's a few interest??ing software tidbits to glean.

Here are the takeaways from the 2022 Capcom financial report:

• Resident Evil Village hits 6.1 million units in sales, which is beyond the roughly five million mark six months ago.
• Monster Hunter 2 Stories: Wings of Ruin achieved 1.5 million in sales, a number Capcom seems happy with.
• Capcom says that Monster Hunter World: Iceborne and Resident Evil 7 helped bolster its financial state because they are "consistently popular."
• The publisher didn't report much in the mobile space, but did boast about Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat launching in China.

Using this new data, Resident Evil Village is tied with Street Fighter V for the 9th spot overall in Capcom's all-time seller list. At this point it just needs to push a little further to surpass Street Fighter II at 6.3 million units. Monster Hunter is also still very much secure as a staple IP for Capcom, and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. And of course, the same goes for Resident Evil, which holds a staggering five spots in the overall top 10 now.

This report shows us a decent runway of what we can expect of Capcom in the next five years or so. And why Resident Evil Village DLC (we're waaaaaiting!) is a no-brainer.

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Elden Ch-Ching

To say that FromSoftware's Elden Ring has taken the gaming community by storm would be something of an understatement. In fact, according to publisher Bandai Namco, the challenging RPG has already ship??ped an incredible 13.4 million copies worldwide since its launch back in February of this year.

Elden Ring, currently available on PlayStation and PC platforms, was always destined for some form of greatness �given the pedigree of the development team and the furious hype engine driving the title toward its release �but it seems that nobody was quite anticipating the staggering success that the title has received. Elden Ring has become the game of 2022 to date, and it would seem foolish to bet against it as a Game of the Year champion? once December ??rolls around.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOrtKh8Vv3g

Like so many mega-smash releases, the furor around the title becomes about much more than simply playing a great game. Elden Ring has won over a huge community of fans with its deep lore, roster of intriguing characters, incredible worlds, nightmarish enemies, creative mods, and strange eccentricities. In a season jam-packed with major releases, Elden Ring has found a way to stand far and away from the pack??, becoming something of a premier release among premier releases.

And it's still early days for the title, as both the hardcore fanbase and the more nonchalant of players will dig further into its grim 'n' gothic mysteries as the year progresses, while creators will continue to develop their own fan art projects pulled directly from the world of The Lands Between. Elden Ring is something of A Happening, clearly reflected in i??ts incredibly impressive success the world over.

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Everything else had marginal gains

Thanks to the new Nintendo financial update for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, we have new software data: and it's not super exciting! Let's dive into anothe?r Switch software sales update, as Ninten?do reveals that it has 39 "million-seller" titles, with 26 of them falling under the first-party category, and 13 from third-party publishers.

Here's how things look right now as of May 10, 2022:

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (45.33 million sold)
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons (38.64m)
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (28.17m)
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (26.55m)
• Pokemon Sword/Shield (24.27m)
• Super Mario Odyssey (23.5m)
• Super Mario Party (17.78m)
• Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl (14.65m) moved up from 9th place since December 31, 2021
• Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee (14.53m) moved down from 8th place since December 31, 2021
• Ring Fit Adventure (14.09m)

The big bolded bit is the important part here, as Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl ended up becoming a huge hit for Nintendo in a relatively short amount of time. It beat out Let's Go, finally, which is something any number of projects have been trying to do since November of 2018. If it keeps this pace up it'll at least beat out Super Mario Party for the 7th overall slot.

Everything else had relatively marginal gains in this new Switch software sales update. The last check-in date was December 31, 2021, and at that point, Mario Kart 8 had penetrated the market with 43.35 million in sales: so the increase was fairly small (comparatively: it's still a powerhouse!). Animal Crossing pushed an additional million in sales in that same time period between December 31 and March 31. The rest generally sold an extra half a million copies or less. Expect Pokemon Legends to make waves eventually if it keeps selling and knock Ring Fit Adventure off the list: it h??as 11.4 million in sales and counting in 10 weeks' time?.

When Nintendo wa?s talk??ing about "evergreen" titles losing their luster," these marginal in??creases are what they're talking about. The gaming market has become so saturated that it can be really tough to keep peddling the same games.

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But I thought PC gaming was dying

The Stardew Valley 20 million sold mark has been hit, as confirmed by the official website for the game: and 13 million of those sales were on PC. Please clap for a "dying" platform!

Seeing the sales climb to 20 million organically has been a ride. Six years ago it was at a budding one million. Just two years ago the game was at? the 10 million mark. Eight months ago it hit 15 million. Now it's here. It feels like it just came out and cau?ght on like wildfire yesterday.

?Okay, so using the following information, we can kinda-sorta break down per-platform info:

• Creator Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone states that 13 million of those sales were on PC openly on the site.
• Four years ago, the Switch hit the one million milestone mark, which has grown since then.
• In 2020, it was confirmed that Stardew Valley hit the "one million downloads" mark on iOS and Andr??oid combined.

Recent data has not been provided for the PS4, Vita (RIP), or Xbox One platforms. But at roughly 1.5 million for PS4 and one million for Xbox One respectively, presuming a significant growth for Switch and mobile (to potentially two million each), that would approach the Stardew Valley 20 million mark.

Given the evergreen nature of the game and the inevitable second wind it will get after the launch of Haunted Chocolatier, this journey isn't over yet.

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That's a Lara tombs raided

No one would, could, deny the incredible impact of one of gaming's foremost adventure series, Tomb Raider. The escapades of the undeniable explorer Lara Croft have kept thousands of video game fans entertained ever since her genre-shattering '90s debut. From her humble PlayStation and Sega Saturn beginnings, through her pint-sized handheld/mobile releases, to her modern, critically acclaimed adventures, Lara and the Tomb Raider franchise are, undeniably, a household name.

Tomb Raider's new owner, Embracer Group, wasted no time in reminding the world quite how successful the jungle-traipsing, mountain-climbing, throat-stabbing explorer has been in both the digital realm and on the bottom line. According to a freshly released timeline, the Tomb Raider franchise now sits at an amazing 88 ??million lifetime sales, pulled from every release since the series' 1996 inception.

Of these 88 million sales, a huge 38 million comes directly from Crystal Dynamics' "reboot trilogy" �namely Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015), and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018), a series which remains Ms. Croft's most recent jaunt into Parts Unknown. The remaining 50 million sales are combined of the original Tomb Raider titles, released throughout gaming's fifth-to-seventh generation), as well as numerous mobile titles such as Lara Croft: Relic Run and Lara Croft: GO.

As for what the future holds, frankly, it's all for the taking. The sale of Crystal Dynamics and Tomb Raider to Embracer Group opens up numerous possibilities for Lara's future. The fact that the new owners ha?ve been quick to release these numbers is a very positive sign �suggesting that they see a lot of potential in both the brand power and proven track record of the series. Here's to hoping that Lara returns to our screens soon...

Quite frankly, she is an institution. ?As much of a treasure as anything unearthed within any temple.

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Long-time-coming sequel saw hugely positive reception

It took forever and a day to get here, but it appears that the wait was worth it. Psychonauts 2, which launched on PS4, PC, and Xbox platforms back in 2021, was apparently a res??ounding success for Double Fine Games �seemingly? becoming the quirky studio's highest-rated and best-selling release to date.

This revelation comes via a series of tweets from Lisette Titre-Montgomery, who worked as an art director at Double Fine but left the studio in early April. Titre-Montgomery notes in her tweets that the chrono-conundrum sequel received numerous nominations at The Game Awards 2021 (including Best Art Direction and Game of the Year), as well as the 2021 DICE Awards (Adventure Game of the Year, Best Art Direction), ultimately becoming the studio's best-rated title. This is a meaty accomplishment given Double Fine's respected pedigree of hits, including Brutal Legend, The Cave, and Broken Age.

//twitter.com/zette16/status/1520114185970982917?s=20&t=RWqdhK6??mmw0VPUANxJxBxg

While no specific number was revealed, "best-selling" would imply that Psychonauts 2 has surpassed the studio's record of 1.7 million sales �previously achieved by the original Psychonauts back in 2005. It should also be noted that Psychonauts 2 was availab??le on the Xbox Game Pass service, so it is unknown whether downloads are being taken into account. Either way, there's no denying that the sequel has been a smash hit with fans. Here's hoping they won't have to wai??t another 17 years for Raz's next return.

Psychonauts 2 is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One, you can check out our own Zoey Handley's thoughts on the psychedelic adventure right here.

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That's a whole lotta demon summons

Atlus has proudly announced that its long-awaited JRPG Shin Megami Tensei V has met with unsurprising success, having passed one million sales and digital downloads since its release on Nintendo Switch in the fall of 2021. The impressive number was announced by the publisher on Twitter.

Having been first teased way back in January 2017, the latest entry in the long-running, dungeon-crawler saga had a long and challenging road to fruition. However, come November 2021, SMT V w?as released to stellar critical reviews and equally positive response from the fanbase �all of whom were eager to dive back into its grindariffic world of monsters and melodrama.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMg91G5HJ1w

Shin Megami Tensei V tells the story of a school student and their friends who a?re whisked away to an alternative, post-apocalyptic Tokyo known as "Da'at." There, the protagonist learns of the final act of the ongoing conflict between humanity and demons, as varying factions battle for the fate of all of existence. It is up to the player to pick through the politics and make the decisions that will shape the new world. Honestly, it all sounds like far too much work for me... might just stay in bed.

One million sales, and Shin Megami Tensei V is available exclusively on Nintendo Switch.

//twitter.com/Atlus_West/statu??s/1515876728463257600?s=20&t=nQdGR4k02qV5dg63isQChw

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And even more Objections I'd wager

Period piece mystery compendium The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles has shifted 500,000 copies since its summer 2021 release on PC and console platforms. The impressive sales milestone was announced by developer Capcom on Twitter, in a post featuring some delightful new artwork for The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles features remastered editions of two spin-off titles within the Ace Attorney franchise: 2015's The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures and its 2017 sequel, The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve. Both titles launched in Japan on the Nintendo 3DS but never saw the light of day in the west, thus making the new compilation a frequently requested and highly anticipated release for the Ace Attorney fanbase.

The two titles step away from the more contemporary time periods utilized by most Ace Attorney releases, and instead winds the clocks back to the tail end of the 19th century. Protagonist Ryunosuke Naruhodo takes up the mantle of courtroom defender and investigator, solving baffling cases of murder? and mayhem in the dawning ??years of the judicial system. The two titles are set against the backdrop of Meiji Japan and Victorian England, with a lavish steampunk aesthetic and even an appearance from the famous literary detective... erm... "Herlock Sholmes."

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is available now on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. You can check out our own Eric van Allen's very positive thoughts on the release in this review.

//twitter.com/acea??ttorneygame/status/1514785875313324039?s=20&t=8I2cdBSZqj2-OS7ZT_CzRg

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332,000 sold in Europe in March 2022

Switch Europe sales continue to predictably crush it, as 332,000 consoles were sold in Europe alone in March 2022, even without the UK or Germany included (via GSD data from GamesIndustry.biz).

While the Switch has been enjoying a huge amount of success worldwide due to increased stock compared to its competitors (this is on top of strong software sales for Nintendo); interestingly, t??he Xbox brand is managing to make some sort of a dent in the midst of Sony's stock woes. In some regions current Xbox consoles have?? been easier to acquire, no doubt bolstering its second-place status.

As for software, Elden Ring dominated in Europe, and it appears that the Gran Turismo series still has staying power, clocking in at number two. The same goes for FIFA, which took the third spot, followed by the current generation releases of GTA 5, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, WWE 2K22, Horizon Forbidden West, Pokemon Legends, F1 2021, and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands rounding out the top 10.

Getting away from the Switch Europe hardware situation for a second. As for just the UK, GamesIndustry.biz reports that Xbox actually was the top-selling console in?? March in that region, in the face of a 46% drop in console sales as a result of shortages. Microsoft and Nintendo switched wallets: in the UK, the Switch is second.

European GSD March 2022 Top 20 Games (Digital + Physical)

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Grabbing the Brass (Elden) Ring

After years of nervous anticipation, major marketing, and even a pesky delay, FromSoftware's Elden Ring finally launched on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms on February 25. And, according to publisher Bandai Namco, the epic fantasy adventure has already left sales charts shaking, racking up an amazing 12 million sales in just over two we??eks.

As per GSD data obtained by GamesIndustry.biz, the mighty figure cements Elden Ring as the most successful "new IP launch" since Ubisoft shooter The Division, which hit the shelves way back in 2016. Elden Ring's sales have been driven by its stellar critical response and mainstream advertising campaigns, as well as FromSoftware??'s reputation for creating some of the finest and most challenging adventure titles in the genre.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOrtKh8Vv3g

"It's astonishing to see just how many people have been playing Elden Ring," said FromSoftware President H??idetaka Miyazaki in a press statement. "I'd like to extend our heartfelt thanks on behalf of the entire development team. Elden Ring is based on a mythol??ogical story written by George R. R. Martin. We hope players enjoy a high level of freedom when adventuring through its vast world, exploring i?ts many secrets and facing up to its many threats. Thank you for your continued support."

Of the 12 million sales, Bandai Namco notes that around one million of Elden Ring's sales come from Japan, with the remaining sales spread throughout the world. PC is believed to be leading game sales, followed by PS5, Xbox, and finally PS4. These numbers represent the biggest video game launch since the release of Activision's Call of Duty Vanguard in No?vember 2021, and sets an except?ionally high bar for 2022's remaining releases to clear.

No one buys single-player games anymore.

//www.tiktok.com/@destructoid/vide??o/707?8355071322328325

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