Stellar Blade
The numbers are in, and PS5’s Stellar Blade was the best-selling sport in April 2024. It was a down month total in comparison with previous years, however Stellar Blade was forward of Helldivers 2, Trendy Warfare 3, and the resurgent Sea of Thieves and Fallout 4, excessive off a PlayStation launch and an Amazon present, respectively.
Circana’s chart covers bodily gross sales and digital knowledge the place obtainable, and solely has ranks, not precise numbers. However SHIFT UP has already mentioned the sport’s efficiency exceeds their expectations and so they have eyes on a sequel.
Why is Stellar Blade’s efficiency so unusually spectacular? It’s primarily about what does or doesn’t work these days of gaming (or at the least what’s purported to). In Stellar Blade’s case:
- It isn’t a sequel or remake
- It isn’t based mostly on a recognizable IP (Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter)
- It isn’t from a studio with expertise making AAA video games
- It’s single participant with no multiplayer parts in any respect
- It has no microtransactions, no seasonal move, solely earned cosmetics
Merely put, that is all the things that the majority massive studios are pushing again towards within the fashionable age of gaming, solely taking part in it protected with long-established IPs, holding again in-game parts to promote as microtransactions or making “reside” video games meant to final ceaselessly.
Stellar Blade
Right here, SHIFT UP, being such a younger firm with this being its first AAA launch, didn’t have any of that baggage or expectations, in order that they have been capable of make a way more “conventional” launch that’s so exceedingly uncommon today. And but when these video games do arrive, and are good, gamers hoist them up on their shoulders, and we’re seeing these gross sales outcomes right here.
The success of Stellar Blade has SHIFT UP speaking a couple of sequel and so they have mentioned they may add extra content material to the present sport like picture mode, extra outfits and doubtless extra fight challenges that can be a part of the “boss rush” they only added final week. I’ve heard the sport described as an “superb 8 out of 10” which I can relate to, as I did certainly give it an 8 out of 10, and it’s…additionally my favourite new sport I’ve performed this yr. It seems I’m not alone.
We’ll see how gross sales progress over the long term. 2024 is not going to have fairly as many huge-scale releases as 2023, so it has the potential to have an extended tail as increasingly gamers decide it up. That is additionally a strong win for Sony, on condition that this can be a PS5 unique, and it’s an enormous hit outdoors of their regular franchises. On this age of acquisitions, I do must marvel about the way forward for SHIFT UP now…
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Decide up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller collection and The Earthborn Trilogy.
