If it refers to the total games software market (digital sales, physical sales, micro-transactions, subscriptions and mobile), then I think I my point stands.

I wasn’t sure if “content spending” excludes say micro-transactions for software that is not available physically.

Yes, I could see launch day availability being an issue.

It’s pretty difficult to keep a .exe file accessible for 30+ years even if your intentions are good.

That’s not really true. GOG installers are the obvious option, but even many of the games on Steam don’t actually have DRM and can be backed up.

And if you really want to you can get cracked versions. For older games, there are compatibility projects like DDrawCompat and dxwrapper. The more popular games have extensive usability mods (support for higher resolutions, bugfixes, UI scaling) and really popular ones have modern engines such as Augustus for Caesar III (originally released in 1998).

For example you can run the Windows 95 version of Simcity 2000 Special Edition on Windows 10 (and I believe W11 works too) on a 1440p monitor:

This is a 30 year old game!

Don’t get me wrong, I get the point of having physical copies (I have an extensive physical book library), but for video games, digital ownership (be it legal like with GOG or certain Steam games or using alternative approaches) is the way forward.

Further, Microsoft doesn’t seem interested in physical sales anymore. I probably would have bought Avowed if it existed in meat-space, it doesn’t. I had a really hard time sourcing Indiana Jones and Outer Worlds 2.

If the disc version exists, can’t you buy it online?

And aren’t console discs de facto installer stubs?

Just curious, I play on PC where physical discs haven’t been a thing for a long time.

I got confused by the following:

While Circana reports that content spending was up 1% year-over-year to $4.8 billion, that’s with subscription spending rising 16% and 2% growth in mobile.

If it does come out, you should post a screenshot shot of this message and your donation receipt in pcgaming.

Worth pointing out that Circana does not fully track Steam (only some, albeit large publishers). They don’t track GOG or Epic at all (they are of course a lot smaller than Steam).

Looks great! Cheers!

I was able to see it on the test server.

This looks cool! Thanks for sharing.

Did not know about that! Then I could see him being involved.

I wonder how much input Carpenter had into this game (beyond providing his name).

That being said I don’t doubt that the motifs of the games are inspired by Carpenter’s movies, I am just wondering about his level of involvement.

How did they even get Carpenter to partake in this? Sabre Interactive is a recognizable name, but it’s no EA.

Welcome!

If you like space themed games (of different genres), there is also:

!space_games@piefed.world

I think Firaxis also had a goal to streamline the missions. Outside of the major campaign set pieces, you can finish a typical mission relatively quickly.

The original XCOM missions could be time consuming. Even getting your 12 soldiers out of the dropship could take a while (that’s probably why you start outside the dropship in the remakes).

I am a big fan of Xcom, the newer series and the original game (played it like 15 years after release with mods), but upon reading the reviews on release, I decided to skip Phoenix Point.

That being said, I might try it out in a few weeks once the Terror from the Void mod is updated for the latest version of the game.

What?

I do know that he provides PR cover for oligarch interests, perhaps in a genuine manner, but the fact remains.

Don’t be so be ridiculous.

You don’t see the link between Cities Skylines II and Fetish Locator: S&M studio?

Have you not tried the San Fernando Valley expansion pack for C:S2?

I remember playing this as a kid in 1999. For some I thought it was very hard. I was still pretty young, but while I found Warcraft 2 and StarCraft challenging, I remember them being easier to eventually figure out.

The story/lore also felt more immersive and realistic. Very grim dark and even scary. This might be a controversial opinion, but I always thought that Blizzard’s story beats were generally subpar. They excelled in game design, balance and visual art, their writing was never impressive.

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Very interesting concept if you like strategy games and space motifs. I am curious about the fleet bridge control gameplay.

Too bad that their early access release sounds more like a demo.

Consulting, investment banking are examples of industries that would not be a good fit for unionisation.

B2B sales, as a profession, irrespective of the industry in which these sales processes occur is not a good fit for unionisation.