Game Scoop! Game Scoop! 839: This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Games
17 snips
Jan 9, 2026 The hosts dive into the familiar landscape of the most-played PS5 games, revealing that Fortnite and GTA V still reign supreme. They analyze the phenomenon of live-service titles dominating player engagement and discuss troubling trends in game purchasing habits. A Nintendo source hints at a slowdown for the Switch 2 due to economic reasons. Plus, they celebrate an impressive speedrunning accomplishment in Super Meat Boy and tackle listener mail, including a unique tip about playing Death Stranding in Spanish!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Live Services Dominate Console Play
- PlayStation and Xbox usage skews heavily to long-running live-service titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty rather than single-purchase first-party releases.
- Monthly active users and persistent multiplayer loops now dominate console play patterns and platform strategy.
Fewer Purchases, More Engagement
- Serkana's data suggests 30% of players bought no games in 2025 and only 12% buy monthly, highlighting lower purchase frequency.
- This weakens the one-time premium purchase model compared to ongoing live-service engagement.
Balance Live Services With Unique Games
- Publishers should treat live-service metrics as a core priority but still invest in differentiated single-purchase titles to diversify offerings.
- Use the top-played list as a prompt to experiment with both persistent and one-off game designs.