Roblox has surpassed Steam in peak concurrent users, Dreamhaven is facing significant challenges, and the creators of The Rogue Prince of Persia are urging not to release games in early access unless they are 90% complete. Here's a rundown of the major events in the gaming industry over the past weekend.
- According to data from the Rotrends service, on Saturday, August 23, the number of concurrent users on Roblox reached a record high of 47.29 million. For comparison: the peak concurrent users on Steam amounts to 41.24 million. As noted online, this record was achieved thanks to two hits: Grow a Garden and Steal a Brainrot. Both games also updated their peak concurrent users that day. Grow a Garden exceeded 22.3 million users, while Steal a Brainrot reached 20.3 million.
- There were also records in Steam games. On Sunday, August 24, the Steam version of the first Hollow Knight managed to attract over 39,350 players simultaneously. This is the best result in the game’s history. Its previous record, set in May 2022, was nearly half that amount — 20,320 players. The surge in interest is linked to the upcoming release of the sequel, set to launch on September 4, 2025, for PC and consoles.
- Dreamhaven, a game investor and publisher launched in 2020 by Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime, is facing difficulties. As reported by Bloomberg, citing a letter from Morhaime to employees, the company's performance is not as expected. Two recently released games underperformed. The shooter Wildgate sold 130,000 copies, while RPG Sunderfolk sold just 62,000 copies. In the letter, Morhaime stated that Dreamhaven’s monthly expenses exceed its income, necessitating urgent cost cuts for survival. Additionally, the company decided to temporarily lower game prices to attract a new audience.
- The Bloomberg material also notes potential issues at Fantastic Pixel Castle. The team is currently working on their debut game — an MMORPG codenamed Ghost. According to the publication's sources, when development began, the project’s budget was estimated at over $100 million, which was promised by its parent company NetEase. However, years later, the Chinese giant allegedly reconsidered the investment and is contemplating reducing funding for Fantastic Pixel Castle. NetEase representatives told Bloomberg that the rumors of such a budget for Ghost are inaccurate, but did not disclose the actual amount. They also explained that the company regularly audits games to assess their “progress, viability, and potential success” — a standard industry practice.
- Studio Evil Empire believes developers should not enter early access with games that are not 90% complete. They shared this opinion in a discussion with Game Developer during Gamescom 2025. According to the creators of the roguelike The Rogue Prince of Persia, gamers often perceive early access as a full release, so a lack of content and other issues can lead to serious problems. Evil Empire recalls that The Rogue Prince of Persia went into early access when it was only 50-60% complete. As a result, the game did not meet expectations initially, and the studio had to revise its roadmap.