Rhys Elliott

Rhys Elliott

@superhys.bsky.social

Head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics. Ex-Newzoo & Nielsen. Analysis in IGN, BBC, Giant Bomb, The Guardian, GameSpot, GIBiz and more. Lives on a canal in the Netherlands, but spends most of the time looking at screens instead. Very Welsh.

3.9K followers444 following514 posts

Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Wolverine has sold through 1.9M copies (1M in pre-launch digital pre-orders), generating $130M - Alinea estimates Of these revenues, 22.9% were physical. As always, these estimates don’t include unsold retail copies, which publishers often report in their sold-in numbers. Full analysis:

alineaanalytics.substack.comWolverine sells 1.9M, despite the online maulingIn three days, Wolverine has generated $130M, passing Death Stranding 2's entire PS5 lifetime revenue. You'd never guess from the discourse, though.
Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Wardogs has reached 2.2M copies sold on Steam, outpacing Arc Raiders (1.7M on Steam, launch aligned) and Helldivers 2 (1M) Wardogs has also generated over $70M, more revenue than Marathon has generated across ALL PLATFORMS to date. (Alinea Analytics estimates) Full blog post:

alineaanalytics.substack.comWardogs had a better Steam launch than Helldivers 2 and Arc RaidersIt’s sold 2.2M copies on Steam, generating $70M in week one. Wardogs has also already converted 11% of its wishlisters. We dive into its early success with Alinea estimates.
Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Steam has generated $15 BILLION in gross revenue so far this year (Alinea estimates) Valve's functional monopoly on the PC market really is a behemoth, already up 15% on the same period last year. This year will almost certainly end well above $20 billion for the first time. Article:

alineaanalytics.substack.comSteam has already generated $15B in gross revenue this yearWe look at the top-contributing new 2026 games, then evaluate whether or not mid-budget games are truly capturing Steam's middle class.

Rhys Elliott reposted

Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Mortal Shell 2 passed half-a-million copies sold over the weekend. It's also the best non-FromSoftware soulslike I've played! Write-up on the free Substack, including new data on How to Fish, Modern Warfare 4, and Helldivers 2 (fish, CoD, and diving...) alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/mortal-she...

alineaanalytics.substack.comMortal Shell 2 passed half-a-million sold in its first weekendThe new soulslike has had a banging start, pushed by an awesome demo. Plus, some estimates on the new Call of Duty, ANOTHER new friendslop hit, and Helldivers 2.
Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Mortal Shell 2 passed half-a-million copies sold over the weekend. It's also the best non-FromSoftware soulslike I've played! Write-up on the free Substack, including new data on How to Fish, Modern Warfare 4, and Helldivers 2 (fish, CoD, and diving...) alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/mortal-she...

alineaanalytics.substack.comMortal Shell 2 passed half-a-million sold in its first weekendThe new soulslike has had a banging start, pushed by an awesome demo. Plus, some estimates on the new Call of Duty, ANOTHER new friendslop hit, and Helldivers 2.
Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

In the week since Phantom Blade Zero pre-orders went live, it's sold 300K copies on Steam and generated $14.5M in revenue, with 10 weeks left until launch. It also just passed 1.6M Steam wishlists, comfortably the most of any 2026 game. It's almost certainly going to be a hit.

alineaanalytics.substack.comPhantom Blade Zero is on track for a hit launchThe China-made, Sony-backed action game is already at 300K copies pre-sold on Steam with over two months to go. This is a big deal, if the game is as awesome as it looks.
Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Here's this gen’s top remakes by copies sold across PlayStation, Steam, and Xbox (Alinea Analytics estimates). We also cover why the hell there are so many bloody remakes these days. Big write-up: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/this-gens-...

alineaanalytics.substack.comThis gen’s top remakes & remasters by copies soldAlinea estimates across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam. Plus, why remakes keep getting more important, and why the AAA industry is in its current bind.
Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Steam is having another record year for revenue. In the first half of 2026, games on Steam generated $11.1B in gross revenue, the platform’s highest-ever half-year. That’s up 14.5% on H1 2025, and up 8% even on the holiday-heavy H2 2025. Analysis: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/steam-is-h...

alineaanalytics.substack.comSteam is having another record year for revenueSteam has generated $11B in the first half of 2026 alone, the platform’s biggest-ever six months, as per our estimates. Here’s the numbers and some of the games driving them.
Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

As H1 comes to a close, here's my GOTY list so far: 1. Mina the Hollower 2. Slay the Spire 2 (Early Access) 3. Mewgenics 4. 007 First Light 5. Forza Horizon 6 6. Marathon 7. Resident Evil Requiem 8. Saros 9. Pokémon Pokopia 10 Vampire Crawlers I can't bloody believe we're only halfway through.

Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Forza Horizon 6 has sold almost 5M copies already! (Alinea estimates) Its gross revenue across platforms now exceeds $325M, with around 1.7M players opting for the premium advanced-access edition (including the Game Pass add-on). Free Substack write-up: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/forza-hori...

alineaanalytics.substack.comForza Horizon 6 has already sold almost 5M copiesForza Horizon 6 is a certified HIT. We use Alinea Analytics' Steam and Xbox estimates to dig into the launch, Game Pass, the cross-platform split, and what comes next.

Rhys Elliott reposted

Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Roguelikes have generated almost $500M on Steam so far this year, as per our estimates. And it turns out the 2026 roguelike DLC is selling pretty damn good, too! New free Substack: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/steam-dlc-...

alineaanalytics.substack.comSteam DLC data: High attach rates for 2026 roguelike DLCRoguelike fans are OBSESSED, so it's no surprise we're happy to fork out for DLC (it helps that the DLC is cheap!) Keep reading to learn which four 2026 roguelike DLCs sold over 100K copies on Steam.
Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Roguelikes have generated almost $500M on Steam so far this year, as per our estimates. And it turns out the 2026 roguelike DLC is selling pretty damn good, too! New free Substack: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/steam-dlc-...

alineaanalytics.substack.comSteam DLC data: High attach rates for 2026 roguelike DLCRoguelike fans are OBSESSED, so it's no surprise we're happy to fork out for DLC (it helps that the DLC is cheap!) Keep reading to learn which four 2026 roguelike DLCs sold over 100K copies on Steam.

Rhys Elliott reposted

GameSpot
@gamespot.com
dlvr.itXbox Project Helix Could Be A Make-Or-Break Moment For MicrosoftLast week at the Game Developers Conference, Microsoft shared more details about its upcoming console/PC platform, Project Helix, including more information on the high-level technical details and that the platform will begin shipping to developers in 2027. In the wake of the announcements, GameSpot caught up with industry analysts to get their take on Microsoft's plans for Helix and more. Mat Piscatella of Circana told GameSpot that Microsoft targeting a 2027 distribution of alpha Helix devkits to developers likely means the consumer version isn't coming until "at least 2028." Project Helix was announced by new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma earlier this month, though a console/PC platform with the name Project Helix has been rumored for more than a decade.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Rhys Elliott reposted

GameSpot
@gamespot.com
dlvr.itCrimson Desert Is Going To Be A Big Deal On Steam, Early Numbers SuggestAfter over five years of development, Crimson Desert is just days away from its debut. And if the early numbers from Steam are any indication, Crimson Desert is on course to have a very big launch. According to Alinea Analytics, Crimson Desert is currently tracking even higher than Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 at the same point in their release cycles. As reported by Alinea, Crimson Desert has sold approximately 400,000 pre-launch copies on Steam, which at $70 per game, would come close to $20 million in revenue three days before its release. By comparison, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 had $5.2 million in pre-launch sales on Steam three days before its release, while Expedition 33 had only $2.4 million in the same period. However, both Expedition 33 and Deliverance 2 enjoyed sustained success on Steam, with $95.5 million and $101.3 million earned respectively after 120 days. There's no guarantee that Crimson Desert will be able to match those numbers, since it's going to come down to how players receive the game and whether word of mouth will carry it forward to even higher sales. Continue Reading at GameSpot

Rhys Elliott reposted

Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Posted about this, using the same examples, last year: I don't agree with the timing emphasis, though. The novelty is just wearing off. Different audiences. alineaanalytics.com/blog/steamps/

alineaanalytics.comThe top-selling PlayStation games on SteamWe asked our audience (that’s you!) about the Alinea estimates you wanted to see most. The clear winner was ‘‘PS5 games on Steam.’’ We’ve got you.
GamesIndustry.biz@gibiz.bsky.social

Sales data indicates Sony's PS5 ports are increasingly losing audience share on PC, but only because of release timing. https://bit.ly/4cx9COG

Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Posted about this, using the same examples, last year: I don't agree with the timing emphasis, though. The novelty is just wearing off. Different audiences. alineaanalytics.com/blog/steamps/

alineaanalytics.comThe top-selling PlayStation games on SteamWe asked our audience (that’s you!) about the Alinea estimates you wanted to see most. The clear winner was ‘‘PS5 games on Steam.’’ We’ve got you.
GamesIndustry.biz@gibiz.bsky.social

Sales data indicates Sony's PS5 ports are increasingly losing audience share on PC, but only because of release timing. https://bit.ly/4cx9COG

Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social

Alinea estimates show that as of March 4, just six days post-launch, Requiem had sold through 4.3M+ copies across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox. Our estimates focus on the sales to consumers (no unsold retailer copies) and don’t include Switch or Epic. alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/steam-is-r...

alineaanalytics.substack.comSteam is Resident Evil Requiem’s top platformRequiem has sold through 4.3M+ copies across Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation, with over half of these coming from Steam.

Rhys Elliott reposted

Lawrence Sonntag
@sirlarr.bsky.social

Whoa this is awesome! I've been desperate for any kind of externally trackable game pass metrics.

Rhys Elliott@superhys.bsky.social

January had a lot of neat Game Pass additions. Here's how many new players they brought in via the service (Alinea Analytics estimates): alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/game-pass-...