KUALA LUMPUR: Legacy titles with long-standing reputations still hold much clout in a games business beset by uncertainty.
Following the premiere of the Grand Theft Auto 6 extended trailer on Netflix, followed by its YouTube release six hours later, the game has seen a huge windfall in pre-launch sales. The game has received more than 4.6 million pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series versions, according to analytics site Sensor Tower.
Over at games sales analytics group Nielsen HQ, console sales for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series have jumped more than 33 per cent following the Netflix special.
It seems a game has to be big enough in name and pop culture relevance that new previews and exclusive first looks at gameplay can drive console sales. Rockstar Games and the Grand Theft Auto series are among the rare names that can command such a feat.
So, if you have the money to fork out for Netflix, you can have your game advertised to a huge global audience, including non-gamers, so they know your 30-odd-hour open-world crime game is coming out soon. It is a huge marketing cost, but one worth bearing if you want to reach a larger demographic of would-be paying customers with disposable income.
Yet this may feel like a Pyrrhic victory for the games industry: any game that takes 14 years to make cannot fail in theory. Yes, Grand Theft Auto 6 looks really good in motion. But it took that long to make and ship. Obviously it should, right?
This is coupled with Rockstar’s history of putting its workers through crunch during game development almost every time, and its abolishment of growing unions. With all this, you can see why seeing a game like Grand Theft Auto 6 can bring pain to someone who saw how the proverbial sausage was made.
Short Beats
Moon Studios founder Thomas Mahler has created a new review aggregator site called VideoGamesCritic.com. The thought process behind the site is that review scores should not remain untouched after a game’s original release. User reviews count for two-thirds of a game’s overall score.
Konami has announced a brand-new IP called Rhapsody in Scarlet. It is a new 3D character-action title set in 1920s New York, starring a singer named Ellie who can use magick and summon magical beasts to fight off a spellslinging mafia. The game is targeting a 2027 release window and is in development.
Square Enix will be releasing Final Fantasy VII Revelation on April 8, 2027, for PC and consoles. This is the first time the company is launching its FFVII remake series on all platforms. This follows mediocre to low sales for the previous titles, FFVII Remake and FFVII Rebirth, when they were exclusive to PlayStation consoles.
Classic 1988 2D action-adventure game The Battle of Olympus is getting a remake by its original creators. The Early Access version is coming out in January 2027 for PC and consoles.
Around 80 per cent of Star Wars Zero Company studio Bit Reactor was reportedly furloughed weeks before its release in late August. Its staff do not know if they will get their jobs back.
The 2027 Pokemon World Championship will take place in Singapore from Aug 13-15, though PokemonXP will not be part of the 2027 event.
Games Of The Week
The Blood of Dawnwalker is a role-playing game set in 14th-century Europe, where medieval history and the supernatural collide. Play as Coen, the titular Dawnwalker, who is half-human and half-vampire, as he goes on a quest to rescue his family from the vampire lords of Vale Sangora. This heavily recommended title of the week is out for PC and consoles.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is an action game set in feudal Kyoto, where you play as a lone samurai with an Oni Gauntlet, fighting hordes of Genma demons in third-person action glory. Out for PC and consoles.
Scarlet Skips is a one-button roguelike action game where you jump rope as the title character, Scarlet. Jump high, survive long and reach absurdly high scores in this cute, bouncy title.
Isle of Reveries is a 2D top-down action-adventure title where you conquer mysterious dungeons and solve puzzles on the titular island. Out for PC and indie-made.
Orbitals is a co-op sci-fi action-adventure 80s anime-influenced title exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is now out in 1.0 form for PC and consoles.
NBA 2K27 is the next annual basketball sports game iteration from 2K Games.
The demos for the following upcoming games are out now:
- SlashZero
- Stupid Never Dies
- Final Fantasy Resonance
Recommended Viewing
Retired fighting game competitor MK Tom Brady has a few words about 2XKO ending active development and the scene in general being backed by one entity without any concern for growth and profit. It is a stark reminder that maybe some things in certain esports fields do not change years later.
