Steam Wishlist Trends for June 2025

According to GameDiscoverCo's tracking of unreleased games on Steam based on new follower velocity between June 30 and July 7, the co-op pirate survival game Crosswind maintained the number one position. The game has reached approximately 500,000 wishlists, reflecting ongoing user interest in cooperative and survival-oriented experiences.

In second place, The Midnight Walkers, a zombie-themed extraction first-person shooter developed by a South Korean studio, gained substantial traction following a technical test. The game has attracted significant attention, particularly in China, highlighting regional interest in multiplayer and shooter genres.

Steam Wishlist Trends for June 2025

Other entries in the top five include games such as OKU, Subnautica 2, and WUCHANG, all of which have appeared regularly in trending lists. Further down the ranking, Vaultbreakers, a top-down action shooter, rose to sixth place due to interest generated by its playtest and gameplay trailer. EA’s Skate. also saw renewed momentum at seventh place following its own testing phase. The only new entry in the top 20 for the week was Bellatores, a medieval MMORPG that recently began its closed beta phase, landing at fourteenth place.

Game Pass Model Sparks Industry Debate

In broader industry commentary, Raphaël Colantonio, a co-founder of Arkane Studios, shared his concerns regarding the sustainability of subscription-based models like Xbox Game Pass. He argued that this approach has negatively affected the industry over the past decade and expressed a preference for a back catalog-oriented model, such as that used by PlayStation Plus. Colantonio suggested that the latter is more sustainable over time, as it supports long-term revenue generation without undermining upfront game sales.

Switch 2 Hardware Capabilities Draw Interest

Technical details about Nintendo's Switch 2 console have begun to circulate, with porting firm Virtuos offering insights into its performance profile. According to Virtuos, the GPU performance of the Switch 2 is slightly below that of the Xbox Series S, with the disparity becoming more noticeable in handheld mode. However, the inclusion of DLSS (deep learning super sampling) technology may help mitigate these limitations. The CPU is described as marginally more powerful than that of the PlayStation 4, suggesting that titles optimized for 60 frames per second on the Series S should be capable of running efficiently on the Switch 2.

PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox

Legal Notices Emerge from Valve Antitrust Lawsuit

Some game developers have reported receiving communications from ValvePublisherClassAction.com, a website connected to the ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed by Wolfire against Valve. The notices relate to a court-authorized class action concerning Valve’s alleged enforcement of ‘most favored nation’ pricing clauses. Developers who received the notice and choose not to respond will automatically be included in any eventual settlement or resolution of the case. The lawsuit continues to raise questions about platform competition and pricing practices in the PC gaming market.

Microsoft Faces Scrutiny Over Studio Management

Recent industry commentary has revisited Microsoft’s track record in managing game development studios. A report by Polygon examined historical and recent challenges faced by Xbox in balancing studio autonomy with centralized oversight. The article pointed to examples such as Lionhead and Bungie to illustrate the ongoing difficulties in maintaining effective creative partnerships. The discussion has gained renewed relevance in light of recent layoffs at Xbox-affiliated studios and broader concerns about operational strategy.

Policy Shift in China May Expedite Game Approvals

A regulatory update shared by industry observer Daniel Camilo revealed that games developed in Shanghai by international studios will now be classified as national Chinese productions. This policy change is expected to simplify and accelerate the approval process for such titles, particularly in the mobile sector, which remains highly regulated in China. The development could encourage more international studios to establish operations in Shanghai as a strategic response to distribution barriers.

China Issues Record 1,416 Game Licenses in 2024

Steam’s Dominance Reaffirmed in Market Analysis

A recent article published by the Financial Times offered a detailed analysis of Steam’s continued leadership in the PC game platform market. While the piece did not introduce significantly new findings, it compiled existing data points and included a reference to GameDiscoverCo's discovery rankings. Notably, the report resurfaced a figure from 2021 estimating that Valve earned approximately $3.5 million in profit per employee. This number originated from legal documents disclosed during the Wolfire lawsuit and reflects Steam’s strong operational efficiency.

Crowdfunding as a Post-Launch Strategy: Paleo Pines

The developers of Paleo Pines, a game already available to players, have launched a Kickstarter campaign to support ongoing updates. They cited a shortfall in revenue caused by publisher royalty agreements and insufficient recoupment. The campaign, which has raised over $137,000 from roughly 1,000 backers, is noteworthy for offering physical rewards such as plush dinosaur toys. The approach highlights the potential for crowdfunding to serve as a supplementary funding method for already-released titles that require continued development support.

Nintendo Emphasizes Efficient Development

During Nintendo’s recent shareholder Q&A session, company president Shuntaro Furukawa discussed the potential for developing games within shorter production cycles while maintaining a sense of novelty and consumer engagement. The comments appeared to focus specifically on Nintendo’s first-party titles. The meeting also introduced Kazuhiko Hachiya, an inventor known for building flying machines, as a proposed external board member. Nintendo’s nomination of Hachiya, alongside new board member Chris Melandandri of Illumination, signals the company’s ongoing interest in creative collaboration and global influence.

Nintendo Switch 2

Other Market Updates and Platform Developments

In other updates, PlayStation 5’s top downloads for June included Death Stranding 2 in the United States and Rematch in Europe. Details have also emerged about Meta’s upcoming smart glasses, which reportedly include a heads-up display and a neural wristband for gesture control. In the retro gaming space, the Xbox Retro Classics app, powered by Antstream and offering cloud-based access to legacy games, has reached over one million players.

Final Thoughts

The latest developments in game discovery, platform strategies, and regional policies reflect the evolving dynamics of the global game industry. From wishlist trends on Steam to regulatory changes in China and ongoing debates over subscription models, developers and publishers continue to adapt to a rapidly shifting landscape. As new hardware platforms approach and funding models diversify, the sector remains in a state of continuous transition. Here is a list of all the games mentioned: