Indie PC Game ‘BattleBit Remastered’ Clings to Top 10 Bestsellers Spot | Chart
It looks like the independently developed and produced massively multiplayer military shooter “BattleBit Remastered” is on its way out of the top 10 revenue-earning PC games, based on its trajectory over the past few weeks. While it has a huge player base following its buzzy launch, it’s uncertain whether gamers will stick around now that the initial hype has worn off.
As for the other games in the top 10 Steam earners list, which ranks PC games, software and hardware based on how much revenue they brought in a given week, No. 1 went to “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.” The free-to-play multiplayer shooter remains a microtransaction economy cash cow that’s unlikely to run out of milk anytime soon.
The No. 2 slot went to “Remnant 2,” a new sequel to the challenging third-person shooter “Remnant: From the Ashes.” The game has various editions, ranging from a $50 standard edition to its $70 ultimate edition. According to Gearbox Publishing, the title moved over one million units in four days flat across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.
“To everyone who helped us achieve this amazing milestone, thank you for your unwavering support,” said David Adams of Gunfire Games, the studio responsible for developing “Remnant 2.” “This was a multi-year journey for us and we couldn’t be happier to see fans having such a great time with a game we put our heart and soul into.”
As a cooperative game with the potential for the sort of longevity that high-profile multiplayer games tend to have, “Remnant 2” may stay on the list for a while.
The No. 3 slot on the weekly chart went to “Baldur’s Gate 3,” a fantasy roleplaying game that’s riding high on the wave of its impending release. Though the game’s technically been purchasable and playable since 2020, it’s been doing so with the “early access” label stuck to its name, meaning its contents is subject to change since the game is still under development.
Now that a proper, finished release of “Baldur’s Gate 3” is imminent, gamers who were leery of getting burned by the “early access” label are finally coming around and purchasing the title in droves. Having not even formally released yet, the game’s already up to over 65,000 reviews.
No. 4 on the top 10 list was the Steam Deck, Valve’s PC gaming handheld device. It has a minimum price tag of $400, so it’s usually on the list due to how much revenue each unit pulls in for Valve, the company behind Steam.
No. 5 on the chart was free-to-play battle royale title “Apex Legends,” one of Electronic Arts’ main money trees alongside the “FIFA” series and ever-popular “Sims” games. “Apex Legends” is also available on Origin, a rival PC games storefront where EA doesn’t have to share a cut of microtransaction revenue with Valve. Given that Origin (and all other PC storefronts) are dwarfed by Steam, it’s safe to assume the lion’s share of EA’s “Apex” revenue is being made on Steam and this chart ranking is, by and large, accurate.
No. 6 went to “Dead by Daylight,” a $20 multiplayer horror game that’s been a bestseller for many years thanks to a huge player base and constant updates from the developers. For example, the devs recently revealed Nicolas Cage would be joining the game. There’s a “Dead by Daylight” movie in development, too.
No. 7 went to the PC release of “Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart,” a $60 game and former PlayStation 5 exclusive. With this game’s arrival on PC, few PS5 “exclusives” remain bound to the platform.
Microsoft pioneered this strategy, giving up on true Xbox exclusives a few years ago in favor of having simultaneous PC and Xbox releases. Though Microsoft has the benefit of being behind Windows, the operating system most PC games are built for, there’s also the business reality that PC gamers are something of a separate market from console gamers. Sony has accepted this reality in recent times, releasing many PlayStation exclusives on PC to squeeze extra sales out of its existing library.
Coming in at No. 8 was “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” the Activision Blizzard game that has printed money since its October 2022 release. It does not seem to leave the top 10 revenue earners list, no matter how close it gets to the bottom. It will likely take another “Call of Duty” game releasing for it to finally drop off.
No. 9 was “Warframe,” a free-to-play space-alien-ninja simulator that, much like the other free games on this list, makes its money via a huge player base and a sprawling microtransaction economy.
And at the bottom of the list came the surprise of the week, with $15 indie sensation “BattleBit Remastered” having dropped five slots to No. 10, signaling that its popularity bubble may have burst. It managed to sell almost two million units in its first two weeks and has undoubtedly added many more players since, but at least for now, excitement around the title seems to be cooling.
“BattleBit Remastered” is in early access, so there’s always room for it to climb back up the chart as the developers continue to shape the game. The question is whether it will maintain a healthy, sizeable player base as it loses its “new game” novelty factor.
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