Alinea Analytics
Alinea Analytics business and news from across the web.
Latest coverage
Steam Has Generated $15 Billion in Revenue in 2026 So Far, Says Analyst
Steam has generated $15 billion in revenue so far in 2026, according to analyst Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics. Six new games, including Forza Horizon 6, Crimson Desert, and Resident Evil Requiem, contributed nearly $1 billion to this total. While established IPs dominate revenue, new IPs like Crimson Desert are showing significant success.
Steam Has Generated $15 Billion In Revenue So Far, And New Games Are A Big Part Of It
Steam has generated $15 billion in revenue so far in 2026, according to Rhys Elliot of Alinea Analytics. Top-selling games like Forza Horizon 6 and Crimson Desert contributed significantly, with new IPs making up 63% of the top 100 new games by gross revenue. Future releases like Phantom Blade Zero and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 are expected to further boost Steam's earnings.
The Witcher 3 DLC, Warlock, and open-world anime RPG Ananta gained the most Steam wishlists of everything we saw at…
Steam wishlist data from Gamescom 2026 reveals that The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past DLC garnered the most wishlists, followed by the upcoming RPG Warlock and the anime-inspired open-world game Ananta. The Witcher 3 remaster and the next main installment, The Witcher 4, are also contributing to significant hype for the franchise.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Is Way Ahead Of Black Ops 7 Already By One Metric
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is reportedly outselling Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on Steam by a significant margin, with nearly 400,000 copies sold before release compared to Black Ops 7's 200,000. The upcoming title's beta also saw higher concurrent player numbers. Analysts suggest Modern Warfare 4's current-gen-only release could boost sales for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles.
Why Are Video Game Consoles So Expensive These Days (And Games Historically Cheap)?
Video game consoles and games are becoming increasingly expensive due to a confluence of factors including tariffs, AI-driven demand for components, and a structural shift in the console business model. Experts predict hardware costs will remain high for several more years, potentially impacting future console generations like the PlayStation 6 and Project Helix.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Sold 485,000 Units in First Week, 74 Percent of Sales on PS5 – Rumor
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls reportedly sold 485,000 units across PlayStation 5 and PC in its first week, generating $33 million in revenue. The PlayStation 5 accounted for 74% of sales, with the PC version facing criticism for performance issues. Despite a rocky launch, the developer plans long-term support including new characters like Phoenix Cyclops.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls looks to have sold almost half a million copies in a week
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls has reportedly sold nearly 500,000 copies across PlayStation 5 and PC within its first week. PlayStation 5 accounted for 74% of sales, with North America making up 75% of the player base. Despite initial performance issues on PC, the game's sales pace is comparable to Dragon Ball FighterZ, which went on to sell over 10 million copies.
Gears of War: E-Day Beta Crosses 20,000 Concurrent Players on Steam
The multiplayer beta for Gears of War: E-Day has achieved over 22,000 concurrent players on Steam, significantly surpassing previous entries in the franchise. Analyst Rhys Elliot estimates 1.2 million Xbox players participated, with a strong majority having played Gears 5. Pre-order figures on Steam have also doubled following the beta's success.
Marvel Tokon Nears 500K Sales In Its First Week Despite Fighting Games’ Niche Appeal
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls has achieved nearly 500,000 sales in its first week across PC and PlayStation 5, with the PS5 accounting for 74% of units sold. Despite initial technical issues on PC, the game has generated an estimated $33 million in revenue. The sales data suggests a strong overlap with fans of other fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1, as well as Marvel properties.
Halo: Campaign Evolved Sold 1.2 Million Copies, Performed Worst on Steam – Rumor
Halo: Campaign Evolved has reportedly sold 1.2 million copies, generating an estimated $67 million in revenue, with Steam sales underperforming significantly compared to Xbox and PlayStation. This underperformance on Steam is attributed to the value proposition of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which includes multiple titles and competitive multiplayer, features lacking in Campaign Evolved. A substantial portion of Xbox players accessed the game through Game Pass.
Halo: Campaign Evolved needed PvP to match Call of Duty: Black Ops 1 and 2 PS5 sales, analyst says
An analyst suggests that Halo: Campaign Evolved's lack of PvP maps is hindering its sales on PlayStation 5, causing it to significantly underperform compared to older Call of Duty: Black Ops ports. While Halo: Campaign Evolved sold 1.2 million copies, the PS5 ports of Black Ops 1 and 2 sold a combined 12 million units, with the analyst attributing the difference to the strong multiplayer component in the Call of Duty titles.
Halo: Campaign Evolved struggles to sell in anywhere near the quantities the recent Black Ops revivals did, and the probable reason? Lack of multiplayer
Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the original Halo campaign, has struggled to sell, with only 1.2 million copies sold across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox in two weeks. Analysts suggest the high price point and lack of multiplayer, a feature present in the cheaper Master Chief Collection and the successful Call of Duty: Black Ops ports, are the primary reasons for its poor performance. Despite being the first Halo title released on PlayStation, the campaign-only remake generated significantly less revenue than recent Call of Duty ports.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Sold 316,000 Copies Following Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Release – Analyst
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 experienced a significant sales increase of 316,000 copies on PC and PlayStation 5 following the theatrical release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Analyst Rhys Elliot of Alinea Analytics attributes this transmedia halo effect to the movie's release, noting a substantial rise in sales compared to previous discounts. This surge has contributed to the game's lifetime sales exceeding 18.2 million copies.
Halo Studios Has No Planned Layoffs, is Letting Go of Contractors – Rumor
Halo Studios has clarified that recent departures are limited to external contractors hired for Halo: Campaign Evolved, with no planned layoffs for internal staff. Industry analyst Rhys Elliot noted that the game's PlayStation 5 sales were lower than anticipated, selling only 351,000 copies in its launch month and being outsold by older Call of Duty titles.
Halo: Campaign Evolved PS5 Launch Was Overshadowed by Black Ops 1 and 2, Says Analyst
Halo: Campaign Evolved saw underwhelming sales on PlayStation 5, selling only 351,000 copies in July, significantly overshadowed by older Call of Duty titles. Analyst Rhys Elliot suggests the $60 price point was too high for a graphical remake of a 2001 game, contrasting it with more successful nostalgic releases and Halo's own past sales trajectory.
The Odyssey release saw Assassin's Creed: Odyssey player engagement jump 90%, analyst says Ubisoft can thank Christopher Nolan for its best week in years
Player engagement for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Odyssey surged by 90% following the release of Christopher Nolan's film adaptation of The Odyssey. Analyst Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics reported that active players nearly doubled from 122,000 to 233,000 across platforms, with PlayStation and Xbox seeing significant increases. This boost in engagement, attributed to cultural spillover from the film, also led to modest sales increases for the 2018 title.
PlayStation ditching physical games is "a bridge across the bad years" of high hardware costs, analyst says, but it means "casuals and youngsters will drift off to mobile, PC, and free-to-play even faster"
Industry analyst Rhys Elliott suggests Sony's decision to phase out physical PlayStation games by 2028 is a short-term strategy to offset high hardware costs. While it may improve margins during a difficult period, it risks alienating budget-conscious and younger players who might then drift to mobile, PC, or free-to-play markets.
Resident Evil 4 Has Sold More Than Twice As Much As Any Other Current-Gen Remake
The Resident Evil 4 remake has achieved 16.8 million lifetime sales, significantly outselling other current-generation remakes like Ark: Survival Ascended and The Last of Us Part I. Data from Alinea Analytics indicates that remakes are a vital and less risky revenue stream for publishers, providing a proven design and fanbase compared to new intellectual property.
Just seven games: the shrinking state of physical PlayStation sales in 2026
Physical sales of PlayStation games in the US have drastically declined, with only seven titles selling over 100,000 copies since the start of 2026. This trend is exacerbated by the increasing prevalence of digital-only consoles like the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition and Xbox Series S. Sony Interactive Entertainment plans to cease production of new disc-based titles by January 2028, signaling a significant shift away from physical media.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced enjoys the best launch of any AC game on Steam, making avast sum of money there
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has achieved the biggest launch for an Assassin's Creed title on Steam, generating $35.1 million in revenue as of July 13th. Data from Alinea Analytics indicates that the game sold 701,000 copies on Steam alone, significantly outperforming recent releases like Assassin's Creed Shadows. Despite strong sales, the game has faced some backlash regarding its launch-day DLC and microtransactions.
