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 Games of October 2022
The month of Halloween is chock full of gaming treats – no tricks necessary. Heavy-hitters include: Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Blizzard’s Overwatch 2, Focus Entertainment’s A Plague Tale: Requiem, Ubisoft’s Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Warner Bros’ Gotham Knights, Capcom’s Resident Evil: Re:Verse, Square-Enix’s Star Ocean The Divine Force, 2K’s New Tales from the Borderlands, Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky (on Switch), and Sony’s Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection arriving on PC.
NPD: September 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 estimates are for entertainment purposes only. Total sales of new gaming hardware and software for September 2022 topped $4.1 billion, a slight 4 percent decline from last year.
Highlights on the Top Twenty software charts include: EA’s FIFA 23 topped the charts, followed by stablemate Madden NFL 23 in second. In third is another sporting sensation, Take-Two’s NBA 2K23, with Nintendo’s Splatoon 3 debuting high in fourth (also the highest-charting console exclusive on the list). Speaking of exclusives, Sony’s The Last of Us: Part 1 remake also debuts high in fifth, with Konami’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection entering the charts in sixth. Also impressive are Deep Silver’s Saints Row reboot remaining a best-seller in seventh and Bandai Namco’s remastered JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle debuting in eighth.
Everything Else
In other news: Google Stadia RIP (2019-2023), G4TV RIP Again (2021-2022). We hardly knew you. Did you see the first teaser-trailer for Nintendo/Illumination’s Super Mario Bros. Movie? Momma mia, that’s Jack Black and Chris Pratt! Is there any hope for dedicated streaming-only mobile handhelds like Razer’s Edge or Logitech’s G-Cloud?
Are you ready to upgrade to the next-gen AMD Ryzen 7000 (Raphael) or Intel i9-13900K (Raptor Lake) processors? Better open those pocketbooks, folks. And because October is the month of all-things spooky, Konami and Capcom revealed the future of Silent Hill and Resident Evil is remakes, movies, surprise ports (Mac?), and even some cloud streaming if you truly want a scary experience. Happy Halloween!