It’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our hosts Cory Galliher and Nate Evans guide you through the best, worst, and everything else making headlines and headway in the world of interactive entertainment.
The Biggest Games of November 2022
November is typically the biggest month of the year for new releases, and that’s true here. Top contenders for your gaming dollar include: Nintendo’s Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Sega’s Sonic Frontiers, Square-Enix’s Harvestella and Tactics Ogre: Reborn, Sony’s God of War Ragnarok, Bandai Namco’s The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me, Focus Entertainment’s Evil West, Prime Matter’s Gungrave G.O.R.E., Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, and Microsoft’s Pentiment.
But there’s more! Other noteworthy games include Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, Goat Simulator 3, Just Dance 2023, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (for PC), It Takes Two (for Switch), Front Mission 1st: Remake, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, and Garfield Lasagna Party. And if you want 16-bit retro fun, why not try Sega’s Genesis Mini 2? Good luck snagging that one!
NPD: October 2022
NPD remains the gaming industry’s best snapshot of what’s moving and shaking up both physical and digital retail shelves across the country. All stats and estimates are for entertainment purposes only. Total sales of new gaming hardware and software topped $$4.3 billion, a zero percent change from last year.
Highlights on the Top Twenty software charts include: Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 taking the top spot, breaking franchise records and earning a cool billion dollars in the process. Warner Bros’ Batman-free Gotham Knights debuts high in second, EA’s NHL 23 scoring big in fifth, Ubisoft’s Mushroom Kingdom crossover Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope in sixth, Atlus’ Persona 5 Royal returning in seventh, and Nintendo’s Bayonetta 3 squeaking in at ninth.
Square-Enix’s Star Ocean: The Divine Force debuts in fourteenth, Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball: The Breakers in sixteenth, Take-Two’s PGA Tour 2K23 in seventeenth, while Square-Enix’s NieR: Automata also returns to the charts in nineteenth.
Everything Else
Happy 20th birthday to Microsoft’s Xbox Live, the first console online service (outside Japan) that didn’t suck! Those wanting to brush up on their gaming history can now read – legally and free – every issue of Nintendo Power online! Sega keeps their movies coming by announcing a Streets of Rage live-action movie from John Wick creator Derek Kolstad! Will Yuzo Koshiro be involved? Did you know the Grammy Awards are now nominating gaming soundtracks? Have a safe and happy holiday season, everyone!
