What’s old is new again

Are you playing a game that was first released in 2017 or before? You are not alone. Find out more, plus the Roblox studio head has some thoughts about kids making games for their platform. All this and more. Let's go!

Old games are the current craze

2023 was an incredible year for video games by most standards. But according to a recent report, over 60 percent of the time spent playing games last year was dedicated to games six years old or older. 

Kotaku first reported on research from Newzoo, a marketing company that looks at the gaming industry. The report shows that while the PC and console market grew 2.6 percent in 2023, overall playtime decreased as gamers spent more and more time in a smaller number of old games. From the Kotaku article: 

Newzoo’s data shows that the top 10 games on each platform (ranked by their average number of monthly active users, or MAU) are filled with old, established titles. Fortnite took the crown on all platforms, including Switch and PC. The rest of the lists included titles that won’t surprise you, like Grand Theft Auto V, Counter-Strike 2, Roblox, Minecraft, Rocket League, Apex Legends, Fall Guys, Valorant, and Call of Duty. Across Xbox and Playstation consoles, only one dedicated single-player game cracked the top ten: Starfield.

The data also shows that 66 titles accounted for 80 percent of all playtime in 2023.What does this mean for new games? Do developers try to create more “forever games” like Fortnite that bring people back on a weekly basis? Time will tell. You can download the full report here (signup required).

Is Roblox kidding around?

When you have to defend yourself against using child labor as part of your business model, you might be doing something wrong. We’re looking at you, Roblox. 

Roblox allows children or anyone to create levels within their game. These creators can make a small amount of money off the levels they create. Roblox maintains it allows children a way to learn how to code. 

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Roblox Studio head Stefano Corazza said children making money on their platform isn’t exploitation, it’s a gift. From the article:

"I don't know, you can say this for a lot of things, right?" Corazza said. "Like, you can say, 'Okay, we are exploiting, you know, child labour,' right? Or, you can say: we are offering people anywhere in the world the capability to get a job, and even like an income. So, I can be like 15 years old, in Indonesia, living in a slum, and then now, with just a laptop, I can create something, make money and then sustain my life.

Roblox’s shady tactics are constantly questioned in articles and in a fantastic video series by People Make Games, which you can view below.

Side quests (more stories worth reading)

🃏 Check out the best video game April Fools jokes. 

🥸 One April Fools prank is becoming reality, as the makers of Pathfinder and Starfinder are selling The Gap, a sourcebook to connect the fantasy and science fiction universes. Related: the pages are blank. 

🌘 You can watch the solar eclipse today on Twitch, via NASA. 

📺 Roku applied for a patent to show advertisements when a video game is paused. 

🎴 Disney Lorcana plans to double player attendance for its competitive events. 

😢 The developers of Life Is Strange say someone tried hiding hate speech and Nazi symbols within the game during development. 

🌠 After being sold by Embracer Group, Saber Interactive’s CEO says the Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic Remake is “alive and well.” He also advises against betting against Embracer. 

🔫 Xbox is planning a summer showcase to coincide with Summer Game Fest. Reportedly on the agenda: Call of Duty and Gears of War. 

🍎 Apple is allowing retro game emulators in the App Store.

💻 The PlayStation Portal had an exploit that allowed it to play PlayStation Portable games. The hacker that discovered the exploit helped Sony fix it. 

💾 Xbox President Sarah Bond has set up a new team dedicated to game preservation.

💵 Discord began incorporating advertisements into its platform. 

🔫 Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile generated $2.3 million in its first two weeks of release. 

😢 Gearbox Entertainment confirms layoffs following its sale from Embracer.

🚔 Police arrest a suspect who made “constant threats” toward Nintendo, causing them to cancel events in Japan. 

👹 Hollow Knight: Silksong has been rated in South Korea, meaning the game’s launch is imminent. 

🤖 Xbox employees are testing a virtual AI chatbot that can help with customer support requests. 

📖 Dicebreaker explores why there are so many good Dune board games. 

New Releases this week:

4/9: Botany Manor (Xbox, Switch and PC)
4/9: Children of the Sun (PC)
4/10: Broken Roads (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
4/10: Sky: Children of the Light (PC)
4/10: Ereban: Shadow Legacy (PC)

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