Rhys Elliott
@superhys.bsky.social
Head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics. Ex-Newzoo & Nielsen. Analysis in IGN, BBC, Giant Bomb, The Guardian, GameSpot, GIBiz and more. Lives on a canal in the Netherlands, but spends most of the time looking at screens instead. Very Welsh.
Here's this gen’s top remakes by copies sold across PlayStation, Steam, and Xbox (Alinea Analytics estimates). We also cover why the hell there are so many bloody remakes these days. Big write-up: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/this-gens-...
This gen’s top remakes & remasters by copies sold
Alinea estimates across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam. Plus, why remakes keep getting more important, and why the AAA industry is in its current bind.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Palworld has sold over 30M copies, generating $700M! (Alinea Analytics estimates) Obviously, that makes Palworld one of the biggest new gaming IPs ever, and about 86% of the copies sold come via Steam. Big deep dive this way: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/palworld-1...
Palworld 1.0 pushes the hit over 30M copies sold
Plus, we answer the question: is console gaming doomed?
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Here's our estimates for the top-grossing Steam games released this year. Full analysis with a bunch of data: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/steam-is-h...
Steam is having another record year for revenue. In the first half of 2026, games on Steam generated $11.1B in gross revenue, the platform’s highest-ever half-year. That’s up 14.5% on H1 2025, and up 8% even on the holiday-heavy H2 2025. Analysis: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/steam-is-h...
Steam is having another record year for revenue
Steam has generated $11B in the first half of 2026 alone, the platform’s biggest-ever six months, as per our estimates. Here’s the numbers and some of the games driving them.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is on course to be a much-needed hit for Ubisoft. Resynced looks poised for a HEARTY PC showing, already clearing 300K copies sold on Steam ahead of launch, worth almost $14M in gross revenue. Analysis: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/two-summer...
Two summer games due to make a BIG splash
An Assassin’s Creed remake and an early-access farming sim are both shaping up for solid summer success.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
PlayStation's top games by copies sold in 2026, including some VERY topical physical game splits (Alinea estimates) open.substack.com/pub/alineaan...
2026’s top PlayStation games by copies sold, including physical splits
It’s all blockbusters all the time, and perhaps a bit more data on PlayStation’s rationale for the death of the disc. Let's look at Alinea's estimates for 2026 copies sold (so far).
open.substack.com
This year's top games by copies sold so far (Alinea Analytics estimates) open.substack.com/pub/alineaan...
2026’s top games by copies sold (so far)
We dig into our estimates for H1 2026’s top games across Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation. Spoiler: the #1 game came out three weeks ago, but there’s more to it… Also, Sony is done with dis
open.substack.com
This year's top games by copies sold so far (Alinea Analytics estimates) open.substack.com/pub/alineaan...
2026’s top games by copies sold (so far)
We dig into our estimates for H1 2026’s top games across Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation. Spoiler: the #1 game came out three weeks ago, but there’s more to it… Also, Sony is done with dis
open.substack.com
As H1 comes to a close, here's my GOTY list so far: 1. Mina the Hollower 2. Slay the Spire 2 (Early Access) 3. Mewgenics 4. 007 First Light 5. Forza Horizon 6 6. Marathon 7. Resident Evil Requiem 8. Saros 9. Pokémon Pokopia 10 Vampire Crawlers I can't bloody believe we're only halfway through.
We got the Bungie layoff news on the same day GTA 6 preorders opened. What a coincidence!
007 First Light has sold 2.2M+ copies across platforms ( Alinea estimates), mostly via PS5. It's at $150M in gross revenue. What a result for an absolutely fantastic game. Likely going to have a long tail, too, this one. More data on Substack: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/mays-top-p...
Dropped some Lego Batman sales estimates today (Alinea Analytics) Lots more data and analysis on the new free Substack: open.substack.com/pub/alineaan...
Lego Batman: 1.2M sold in a week
Legacy of the Dark Knight has had a quiet but solid debut. We swoop into platform splits, audience composition, review sentiment, and why the release timing wasn't quite the mistake it seems.
open.substack.com
Forza Horizon 6 has sold almost 5M copies already! (Alinea estimates) Its gross revenue across platforms now exceeds $325M, with around 1.7M players opting for the premium advanced-access edition (including the Game Pass add-on). Free Substack write-up: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/forza-hori...
Forza Horizon 6 has already sold almost 5M copies
Forza Horizon 6 is a certified HIT. We use Alinea Analytics' Steam and Xbox estimates to dig into the launch, Game Pass, the cross-platform split, and what comes next.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Roguelikes have generated almost $500M on Steam so far this year, as per our estimates. And it turns out the 2026 roguelike DLC is selling pretty damn good, too! New free Substack: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/steam-dlc-...
Steam DLC data: High attach rates for 2026 roguelike DLC
Roguelike fans are OBSESSED, so it's no surprise we're happy to fork out for DLC (it helps that the DLC is cheap!) Keep reading to learn which four 2026 roguelike DLCs sold over 100K copies on Steam.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Roguelikes have generated almost $500M on Steam so far this year, as per our estimates. And it turns out the 2026 roguelike DLC is selling pretty damn good, too! New free Substack: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/steam-dlc-...
Steam DLC data: High attach rates for 2026 roguelike DLC
Roguelike fans are OBSESSED, so it's no surprise we're happy to fork out for DLC (it helps that the DLC is cheap!) Keep reading to learn which four 2026 roguelike DLCs sold over 100K copies on Steam.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Published some of our SAROS estimates! open.substack.com/pub/alineaan...
Saros sells 300K+ in its first two weeks
Sony's first big 2026 exclusive is here. Housemarque's spiritual follow-up to Returnal has had a slow but interesting start. Let's see what the Alinea estimates say about Saros. Also, a peek at Forza.
open.substack.com
Saros is like Returnal x Control, with a bit of Infamous Second Son thrown in. It's fucking awesome.
Some new Alinea Analytics estimates: open.substack.com/pub/alineaan...
Which Xbox games have sold over 100K copies on PlayStation?
There’s a lot of talk about Xbox exclusivity right now. So, we use our estimates to give you an idea of how many copies – and how much revenue – Xbox is shifting on Sony’s platform.
open.substack.com
Starfield has sold 140K copies on PS5 (Alinea estimates). Big data deep dive in the new free Substack: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/starfield-...
Starfield has sold 140K copies on PS5
The high-profile port has had a middling start, raising questions about the long-term viability of delayed multiplatform releases and the true cost of exclusivity and subscriptions.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Starfield has sold 140K copies on PS5 (Alinea estimates). Big data deep dive in the new free Substack: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/starfield-...
Starfield has sold 140K copies on PS5
The high-profile port has had a middling start, raising questions about the long-term viability of delayed multiplatform releases and the true cost of exclusivity and subscriptions.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Here's the March top 5 for Steam. Fucking GREAT to see Slay the Spire 2 smashing it. alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/marchs-top...
March’s top Steam games: Indies, AAA, early access, and revivals
Steam’s ranking by copies sold is as diverse as ever. We dive into March's Alinea estimates for Slay the Spire 2, Crimson Desert, an indie revival and more.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Here's the March top 5 for Steam. Fucking GREAT to see Slay the Spire 2 smashing it. alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/marchs-top...
March’s top Steam games: Indies, AAA, early access, and revivals
Steam’s ranking by copies sold is as diverse as ever. We dive into March's Alinea estimates for Slay the Spire 2, Crimson Desert, an indie revival and more.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
New Alinea estimates: March 2026's top PlayStation games by copies sold: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/march-2026...
March 2026’s top PlayStation games
A sports titan keeps momentum at a vital time, Crimson Desert finds a big audience, and Resident Evil Requiem solidifies its successful launch.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
One of the more fascinating data points from Death Stranding 2’s PC launch is the halo effect it triggered on PS5. Noticeably boosted copies sold, even accounting for the 29% discount on PS5 (same discount had far lower spikes previously). More here: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/death-stra...
One of the more fascinating data points from Death Stranding 2’s PC launch is the halo effect it triggered on PS5. Noticeably boosted copies sold, even accounting for the 29% discount on PS5 (same discount had far lower spikes previously). More here: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/death-stra...
New free newsletter on Death Stranding 2's PC launch: alineaanalytics.substack.com/p/death-stra...
Death Stranding 2’s PC port helped DS2 pass 2M copies sold and $150M overall
Death Stranding 2 had a middling start on PS5 when it launched last June, but the recent PC port has boosted the title past a major commercial milestone. Plus, Slay the Spire 2 sells 5M.
alineaanalytics.substack.com
Estimates just dropped for Marathon. open.substack.com/pub/alineaan...
Marathon has sold 1.2M copies across Steam, PS5, and Xbox
Marathon hasn't exactly made the splash Sony and Bungie wanted, even if the game underneath the surface is a masterwork of design. There’s a lot to love about Marathon – and the show ain’t over yet.
open.substack.com
