The main events of the weekend (July 6-7)
Apple has allowed Epic Games to release its own mobile app store on iOS in Europe. In New York, over $59,000 was spent on console games for inmates. Zenless Zone Zero downloads exceeded 50 million. Here’s a recap of what happened in the gaming industry over the weekend.
Zenless Zone Zero
- Apple has revisited its decision regarding the Epic Games Store and granted permission to Epic Games to launch the store on iOS devices in EU countries. According to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, this approval is only “temporary.” Apple is requiring that the creators of Epic Games Store make several design changes in the next update, specifically altering some buttons that resemble those in the App Store.
- The discipline in New York prisons is being improved using video games. As noted by the New York Post, the city’s Department of Corrections purchased 1,247 games for PlayStation 4 and 5, totaling $59,260, to allow inmates with good behavior to play. The purchased games include Mortal Kombat 1, Street Fighter 6, Madden NFL 24, and NBA 2K24. The initiative has received mixed reactions, even within the department. Some staff believe that access to games indeed motivates inmates—especially younger ones—to follow prison rules more closely. However, others claim that the department is pandering to criminals and wasting taxpayers' money.
- miHoYo announced that Zenless Zone Zero has been downloaded 50 million times worldwide. The game reached this milestone two days after its release on PC, PlayStation 5, and mobile devices. To celebrate, the studio gifted all players 1,600 Polycrystals, an in-game currency used for acquiring new characters.
- Meanwhile, developer Mike Klubnika and publisher CRITICAL REFLEX reported that sales of the indie horror game about Russian roulette, Buckshot Roulette, exceeded 2 million copies. They admitted that the project reached this milestone much faster than expected. Buckshot Roulette was initially released on itch.io in December 2023 and became available on Steam in April 2024.
