Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 released just a couple days after Microsoft surprise-released Oblivion Remastered, prompting some to wonder why two Game Pass games heavily promoted by Xbox might release so close to each other. Some wondered and worried if Expedition 33 might have struggled as a result. But the game shipped more than 1 million copies right away, signaling it was a success, despite coming out so close to Oblivion Remastered (which itself reached 4 million players quickly).
Kepler Interactive's Matthew Handrahan told The Game Business that the publisher always knew Expedition 33 had a "very specific identity" that would set it apart from other games.
"I knew plenty of people that would play an Elder Scrolls game that wouldn't necessarily play Final Fantasy and vice versa," Handrahan said of the impression he got working in games media before joining Kepler.
Not only that, but Expedition 33 had its own "momentum" by the time Oblivion Remastered was surprise-launched, he said. "We felt pretty confident that we could stand beside it. I think there were other aspects, like the price point we were at and the inclusion in Game Pass… so we knew we would have a lot of interest around the game," he said.
To sum up, Handrahan said, "Proximity to Oblivion didn't seem to harm us at all. In many ways, I think it just drew attention to quality RPGs that week and everybody was thinking and talking about the genre."
Research firm Ampere Analysis said 35% of Expedition 33 players overall also played Oblivion Remastered, with 55% of Expedition 33 players on Xbox also spending time with Oblivion Remastered. The crossover was more limited on Steam (22%) and PS5 (16%).
Xbox was also the most popular platform overall for Expedition 33, Ampere found, saying 45% of all players came from Xbox, with 47% of Oblivion Remastered players on Xbox. PS5 was No. 2 for Expedition 33, making up 30% of players, with Steam following as the third-biggest platform (25%).
For Oblivion Remastered, Ampere's data said Steam was No. 2 (34%) followed by PlayStation (19%). The preference for Xbox for both titles was attributable in part to both games being included with Game Pass, the report said.
While Xbox was the top platform for both Expedition 33 and Oblivion Remastered, it wasn't the biggest platform for either title based on playtime. Ampere said the average playtime for Expedition 33 on Xbox was 2.2 hours, compared to 4.4 hours on PlayStation and Steam. For Oblivion Remastered, PlayStation users played an average of 3.8 hours, compared to 3.6 hours on Steam, and 2.2 hours on Xbox.
All of the figures here from Ampere cover data from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Europe, from each game's launch through Sunday, April 27. Oblivion Remastered, of course, came out two days before Expedition 33, which no doubt had an effect on Ampere's findings.
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Kepler Interactive's Matthew Handrahan told The Game Business that the publisher always knew Expedition 33 had a "very specific identity" that would set it apart from other games.
"I knew plenty of people that would play an Elder Scrolls game that wouldn't necessarily play Final Fantasy and vice versa," Handrahan said of the impression he got working in games media before joining Kepler.
Not only that, but Expedition 33 had its own "momentum" by the time Oblivion Remastered was surprise-launched, he said. "We felt pretty confident that we could stand beside it. I think there were other aspects, like the price point we were at and the inclusion in Game Pass… so we knew we would have a lot of interest around the game," he said.
To sum up, Handrahan said, "Proximity to Oblivion didn't seem to harm us at all. In many ways, I think it just drew attention to quality RPGs that week and everybody was thinking and talking about the genre."
Research firm Ampere Analysis said 35% of Expedition 33 players overall also played Oblivion Remastered, with 55% of Expedition 33 players on Xbox also spending time with Oblivion Remastered. The crossover was more limited on Steam (22%) and PS5 (16%).
Xbox was also the most popular platform overall for Expedition 33, Ampere found, saying 45% of all players came from Xbox, with 47% of Oblivion Remastered players on Xbox. PS5 was No. 2 for Expedition 33, making up 30% of players, with Steam following as the third-biggest platform (25%).
For Oblivion Remastered, Ampere's data said Steam was No. 2 (34%) followed by PlayStation (19%). The preference for Xbox for both titles was attributable in part to both games being included with Game Pass, the report said.
While Xbox was the top platform for both Expedition 33 and Oblivion Remastered, it wasn't the biggest platform for either title based on playtime. Ampere said the average playtime for Expedition 33 on Xbox was 2.2 hours, compared to 4.4 hours on PlayStation and Steam. For Oblivion Remastered, PlayStation users played an average of 3.8 hours, compared to 3.6 hours on Steam, and 2.2 hours on Xbox.
All of the figures here from Ampere cover data from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Europe, from each game's launch through Sunday, April 27. Oblivion Remastered, of course, came out two days before Expedition 33, which no doubt had an effect on Ampere's findings.
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