Today on State of the Game we'll be covering the week of the 15th to the 21st of May and also debuting a few changes to the infographic. For the most part, the changes are aesthetic but should hopefully make it a little more readable. Additionally, we've added in the Steam review rating for each of the games so you can get a feel for how the community has rated this week's releases. Let us know what you think of the changes in the comments!
Top level stats are a mixed bag once again with releases, average completion and average play time all up. The average number of players is down and the number of games that went unplayed is up, showing that more gamers didn't get the chance to play the game in its release week. These kinds of stats aren't uncommon in weeks without big releases however I'm sure many would have assumed that The Surge would have qualified as a big release for this week.
Oxygen Not Included takes out the top spot this week, eeking out The Surge due to its dominance in every stat bar the average number of players. Indeed since then, Oxygen Not Included's numbers have improved significantly whilst The Surge has dwindled. There are likely numerous reasons for this but Oxygen Not Included's developer pedigree likely has something to do with how sticky the title has been among its players. It is, after all, the latest creation of Klei Entertainment of Don't Starve, Invisible Inc and Mark of the Ninja fame.
Looking at the trending section Endless Space 2's move out of Early Access into a version 1.0 release did wonders for its player base. The transition is hit and miss for developers as for some it barely changes anything whilst others, like Endless Space 2, it can mean a significant increase. Typically the ones who continue to engage their community and actively develop the game after 1.0 are the ones that succeed whilst those who neglect both those aspects tend to suffer. Amplitude's Games2Gether system and active community approach didn't change any with the Sega's acquisition of the company and the studio is a veteran of Early Access with this being their fourth title using that release system.
