Horror games represent a market with steady demand, a relatively low entry barrier for developers, and established conventions. In our new report, we will attempt to assess how commercially appealing this niche remains. As always, it includes numerous tables, data, and interesting observations

For some publishers, working with influencers has become a separate marketing strategy. But how do you choose the right blogger who will genuinely engage your game's audience? Let's find out with Ilya Svanidze, Head of Marketing at ESDigital Games, and Artem Akimkin, Lead Influencer Manager at Polden Publishing

Most companies tend to consider the brands they have created or acquired in the past as their most valuable assets. However, today it may be more important to focus on what they are capable of in the future. The release of Gears of War: E-Day is an excellent opportunity to discuss how individual studios transform into independent and far more valuable IPs

Ace Combat is, in many ways, a unique franchise, and the release of its new installment provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the state of the flight simulation game market. We analyzed a large volume of data and prepared a detailed report—with illustrative tables, graphs, and not the most encouraging conclusions

September turned out to be one of the most eventful months of 2026, including in terms of the variety of hit new releases on PC and consoles. More details about the performance of several dozen key releases can be found in our traditional column

The editorial team at App2Top has frequently consulted developers for their opinions on neural networks and received highly polarizing responses. These range from "it's random that desperately needs human intervention" to "soon AI will create a grand hit for me." To understand which of these perspectives is closer to reality, we are discussing with representatives from MidHard, Beresnev Games, Playkot, and other studios

On the occasion of the release of Control Resonant, we've decided to delve into how the project fits into Remedy's transition to self-publishing games. We'll discuss the metrics of the new release, compare its financial model with previous titles, and examine how the Finnish studio's ROI changes under different conditions

On September 22, the release of Graveyard Keeper 2, a new hit in tinyBuild's publishing catalog, took place. This is a great opportunity to analyze the company's current business strategy and recall the decisions that helped it emerge from a deep financial pit

Concerns about banning online games for children under 15 in the European Union have not been confirmed. However, the proposed legislation does include rather strict regulations. We have reviewed the published documents and understood how the EU intends to transform "child protection" from a safety function into a part of product design.

The "divorce" between Kojima Productions and PlayStation has raised many questions, including whether a corporation can simultaneously act as a patron for independent creators and operate according to the rules of large public businesses. Today, we will trace the transformation of Sony's strategy, which over several years has radically changed its decision-making system and approach to investment and capital management

More than 1 million copies sold at launch place Wardogs alongside the biggest releases of 2026. However, behind it lies a long corporate history that is almost more intriguing than the game itself. Today, we will trace the 12-year journey of the English studio Bulkhead, including mass layoffs, the threat of closure, and a risky MBO, and analyze the components of success for its new project

Even knowing about the oversaturation of the niche, indie developers continue to release thousands of 2D platformers every year. To conclusively address this issue, we have analyzed a large dataset and prepared a detailed report on the state of the market—with illustrative tables, graphs, and possibly sobering conclusions

70% of open-world action RPGs earn over $50,000. These and other insights are included in our detailed report on the state of the subgenre, coinciding with the successful launch of The Blood of Dawnwalker. Featuring charts, tables, and interesting observations

While the console market is on hold, awaiting the annual sports lineup and the avalanche of fall releases, several dozen commercially successful titles were released on PC in August. More details can be found in our traditional segment packed with data and graphs

Following the main presentations at Gamescom 2026, we have prepared a comprehensive report on the winners in various categories. Inside, you'll find many charts and data on views, the number of new wishlists, and other metrics for the games showcased at the German exhibition. Let's see who had the most effective week.

The successful release of the Mortal Shell sequel is a great opportunity to discuss the state of the Soulslike game niche. In the new report, we will analyze not only the metrics of Cold Symmetry's latest game but also present a detailed benchmark with data on the highest-grossing projects and median values for the entire category

Jeff Kaplan shaped the look and game design of World of Warcraft for years. Tim Cain became the main architect of Fallout. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk founded BioWare. You've probably played their games but might not know the legends by name. However, you definitely know Sid Meier. Because there is no such thing as just "Civilization." There's only Sid Meier's Civilization.

Despite the fact that Disco Elysium was released over six years ago, the wave of its imitators and "spiritual successors" threatens to flood the market only now. We tried to evaluate, based on the numbers, whether there is commercial potential in this niche

Getting money from a publisher and an investor is a completely different experience. A publisher manages the marketing campaign for a specific game, sets the price, organizes testing, and assists with the console version. Meanwhile, an investor often invests not so much in the game itself but in the team, expanding its capabilities without negating collaboration with the publisher. But how can one secure investments for development? We share the experiences of the creators of Indika, Recon: 1944, and World War: Siberia.

Economic strategy games are not the most popular genre for discussion. However, in terms of potential, the niche is almost like a blue ocean—with a low number of releases and high median earnings. This is the focus of our report today

On August 6, the release of ReStory: Chill Electronics Repairs took place. This is a good opportunity to talk about one of the most interesting niches in the market, which we tentatively refer to as checklist simulators. The latest report contains a wealth of data on the state of the subgenre, median revenue, and top-grossing games, as well as a comparative benchmark across various categories of simulators

July will be remembered as one of the most eventful months of 2026. Steam set another record for the number of releases, Nintendo dominated the Japanese charts, and a slew of mid-budget projects and indie games sold hundreds of thousands of copies. More details in our traditional segment

By the end of the half-year, albeit delayed, we have compiled a detailed report on the gaming stock market situation. Inside, there are a plethora of data and illustrative tables that reflect both macro trends and the situation in individual countries. As always, we will also discuss the causes of specific crises

Halo: Campaign Evolved is positioned as the first full-fledged remake of the legendary shooter. Today we will analyze the game's launch and the historical sales of previous installments, as well as discuss why Microsoft's approach and the transformation of Halo Studios do not inspire optimism for the future of the franchise

The upcoming discontinuation of discs by Sony has become one of the most talked-about events in the industry in recent months. We decided to examine the situation from the perspective of market data and find out how the share of digital sales has changed for major publishers and what the current state of game retail is today.

Is there a chance of achieving success after an unsuccessful release? In short — almost none. This answer is rather dull, so today we'll explore specific cases, the reasons behind their initial failures and subsequent successes, and also delve into the harsh reality faced by most projects in the market

Instead of the traditional mid-year summary, we have prepared an extensive report on the state of genres in Steam. Inside, you'll find a wealth of data, charts, and conclusions about the highest-grossing game categories, oversaturated niches, and underrated subgenres. We'll also specifically discuss tags where revenue distribution is most uneven

The launch of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced turned out to be one of the most successful in the recent history of the series. The latest article is filled with numerous figures and charts on the game's results, a contextual comparison with the franchise's historical sales, as well as reflections on Ubisoft's detrimental penchant for vague wording and distorted metrics

Despite the absence of traditional AAA blockbusters, June was rich with successful titles across various genres and formats. There were also some surprises. More details on sales, revenue, and other metrics of the main releases from the past month can be found in our regular column

Every week we upload interviews on YouTube with gaming specialists about various aspects of their work. We also publish separate text-based rapid-fire interviews with our speakers, but those are "locked." A companion piece to today's video interview with Vladimir Berezhny, a product owner at CarX Technologies, is this conversation where he shares his overall view on what's happening in the racing game market and its development niche today

A game created in just a few months by two Japanese developers has become one of the major hits of the first half of the year. Today, we'll take an in-depth look at the reasons behind the success of Meccha Chameleon and analyze its position both among "friend-sim" games and in the market overall

The French video game crisis, like that in the rest of the world, is systemic in nature but comes with a number of local characteristics. Today, we will delve into the causes in detail—from the fatal mistakes of major companies and management's irresponsibility to issues with government subsidies and the role of unions

Every week, we post interviews on YouTube with gaming experts discussing various aspects of their work. Additionally, we will now be releasing separate written blitz interviews with our speakers, but these will be "locked." For instance, today on YouTube, a one-hour conversation was published with Anastasia Smirnova on the topic "How to Create a Good Narrative for a Casual Game?" The accompanying material to this is an article where we talked with Anastasia about the challenges narrative professionals face today

Games from Russian and generally Russian-speaking teams rarely make it to consoles. We discussed why this is the case with Fair Games, Sobaka Studio, Odd Meter, DANGEN Entertainment, and many others

Traditionally, following the Steam Festival of Demos, we prepare a detailed report on the results of the major projects and overall trends. We will also share some less obvious conclusions, as well as discuss anomalous cases and unsuccessful manipulations

Real-time strategy games remain one of the most challenging genres on the market. Today, we are releasing a comprehensive report on its current state. What is the median revenue for RTS games, how saturated is this niche, which games are at the top in terms of revenue, and how are developers pushing the genre forward through hybridization — we'll try to answer these and other questions

In the eyes of consumers, the Summer Game Fest has become something of a replacement for the game announcements once made at the now-defunct E3. To clearly demonstrate the marketing impact of this series of events, we have prepared a detailed report—with charts, tables, and a wealth of data on dozens of games of varying scales and for different platforms

A few days after its release, we can confidently state that the remake of the first "Gothic" has come to fruition, including from a commercial standpoint. Today, we'll examine the project's journey to release, its initial metrics, and also delve into the historical sales data of the franchise

What genres are popular on smartphones and the web? How do teams monetize them? How quickly are these sectors developing? We posed these questions to major players in the mobile and web markets in Russia

May 2026 will be remembered as a month of successful titles from major franchises and licenses. Among them were several box office hits. More details on sales, revenue, and other metrics of the main releases from the past month can be found in our traditional segment

007 First Light is the first game in nearly 16 years by IO Interactive that isn't set in the Hitman universe. To mark the release, we've prepared a detailed analysis of the new game's launch metrics and compiled sales data from the studio's previous projects for historical context

Incremental games are one of the fastest-growing segments on PC. We're releasing a comprehensive benchmark on the state of this niche to understand what the market for idle projects in Steam looks like today

Forza Horizon 6 has unsurprisingly become one of the highest-grossing releases of 2026. Meanwhile, Playground Games has solidified its status as nearly the only Microsoft studio consistently delivering hits. Today, we'll not only examine the launch of the new installment in the series but also explore the state of the genre as a whole

Adult games are one of the most vibrant and taboo segments of the industry. Today, we're releasing a comprehensive report on the market's current state. Which genres are leading today, how much the top performers are earning, what engines projects are built on, and where developers and publishers are located — we'll attempt to answer these and other questions

The sequel to the underwater survival game Subnautica has marked one of the largest launches of 2026. Today, we will not only analyze the game's release (including in the context of Krafton's financial strategy), but also examine the performance of the highest-grossing titles in the genre

Four years ago, the Russian gaming industry hit turbulence. Established relationships and processes were disrupted. There were issues with translations, and many teams — including large and successful ones — relocated. Game development seemed to be isolated. This led some in the community to believe that the industry needed to be rebuilt from scratch. Newly-formed gaming organizations like RVI and APRIORI joined this effort. We spoke with them about how they perceive the current state of domestic game development today.

The early access release of Olden Era exceeded the most optimistic forecasts of both the studio Unfrozen and the publisher Hooded Horse. Today, we will not only examine the key metrics of the new "Heroes" in the context of other releases but also delve into historical sales data of the series and analyze the state of the turn-based strategy niche

After an eventful March, April appears much more subdued. We will analyze the release and success of Olden Era in a separate piece. Today, we present our traditional segment featuring an analysis of the key titles' performance from the past month, complete with charts and a wealth of data from various markets and platforms

There's nothing more daunting than spending many years on development, only to realize that your game is not needed by anyone. Unfortunately, there's no guaranteed way to avoid a fiasco. However, you can increase your chances of success by evaluating the niche and potential competitors before development, at least based on obvious criteria. What are these criteria? Read about them in our article.

After the release of most financial reports, we publish a continuation of our detailed analysis on the business status of gaming companies. This time, we will focus on South Korea, China, and Poland: comparing data, examining the reasons behind successes and crises, and identifying common trends