Steam revenue record high 💰 Palworld 1.0 redesigns 🎮
2026-07-13 · 7 stories · 38 min read
Top Stories
Alinea: Steam revenue reaches $11.1bn, marking highest half-year on record (2 min read)
Steam generated $11.1 billion in H1 2026 revenue, up 14.5% year-over-year and marking the platform's highest half-year on record, according to Alinea Analytics. Back-catalogue sales drove growth, now accounting for 79% of revenue as new-release earnings declined. Among 2026 launches, Forza Horizon 6 leads with $197.7 million, followed by Crimson Desert at $190 million and Slay the Spire 2 at $141.7 million. Alinea noted that successful new titles share either a viral hook, beloved-franchise status, impulse-friendly pricing, or a risky open-world spin. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Palworld's 1.0 update, released today, includes 72 new Pals, new locations, and a raised level cap. Players have noticed that several preexisting creature designs were altered—at least four Pals reworked—to resemble Pokémon less closely, though Pocketpair did not mention the changes in patch notes or confirm the reasoning. Comparisons between the previous Robinquill design and Pokémon's Decidueye were particularly blatant. The alterations may relate to the ongoing lawsuit between Pocketpair and Nintendo over Palworld's creature designs. (Kotaku)
Business & Finance
What does the future of external development look like? (12 min read)
GamesIndustry.biz surveyed senior external development figures on the industry's future. Experts predict external development will shift from capacity support to capability support, with large tier-one providers and specialized boutiques benefiting, as publishers increasingly outsource complex features and co-development rather than maintaining all capabilities internally. (GamesIndustry.biz)
Former PlayStation leader Shawn Layden says Xbox must choose between being a game publisher or a platform holder, but cannot succeed at both simultaneously. He suggests Xbox's recent moves indicate a misunderstanding of how the interactive entertainment business operates. (Eurogamer)
Games & Releases
EA removes microtransactions from EA Sports College Football 27 following backlash (1 min read)
EA removed microtransactions from EA Sports College Football 27's single-player modes after backlash from players and content creators. The studio acknowledged it "missed the mark" with paid progression options ranging from $9.99 to $149.99 and promised greater transparency in future live service plans. (GamesIndustry.biz)
AI/Tech & Tools
The Descent - how game devs learned to love ladders (8 min read)
Eurogamer explores how game developers evolved ladder implementation from a design problem to a solved standard, tracing the history from Arkane Austin's "Fuck ladders" philosophy through Dishonored's chain substitution to modern systems handling edge cases like wrong-side climbing and AI parity. (Eurogamer)
Culture & Community
NexusMods CEO digs into the dynamics of video game modding ft. Victor Folmann (3 min read)
NexusMods CEO Victor Folmann discussed the platform's evolution from a file-hosting service to a full user-generated content platform on the Game Developer Podcast. The conversation covered challenges in curating modding platforms and the complex relationships between developers and players who mod their games. (Game Developer)
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