BGM Weekly Download - 7 March 2025

Welcome to The Weekly Download

This week in video games, Monster Hunter Wilds broke records on the way to shifting 8 million copies in three days, Pokémon TCG Pocket broke the 100 million download mark, and Sega was crowned as 2024’s best publisher.

Pokémon TCG Pocket surpasses 100 million downloads

Developer DeNA thanked fans and outlined plans to introduce features such as ranked matches, new booster packs and additional events. The game’s latest booster expansion, Triumphant Light, launched last week.

Rockstar Games acquires Sydney-based studio Video Games Deluxe

Rebranded as Rockstar Australia, VGD was initially founded in 2013 and has worked with Rockstar on the rerelease of L.A. Noire, as well as Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition.

Widespread layoffs at two PlayStation support studios

The cuts are described as widespread and may stem from cancellations of recent projects. The Visual Arts studio, known for its support on titles like The Last of Us Part 1, and the Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysian studio, founded in 2020, both experienced workforce reductions.

Discord could go public this year

The decision to go public may be driven by a market shift that has become more favourable to tech IPOs. Discord itself has declined to comment on specific rumours. According to the Financial Times, Discord was last valued at 15 billion dollars.

50% of all Steam users in February were Chinese-speaking

The platform saw a 20.88% rise in Chinese users during February 2025, accounting for just over 50% of all players. In comparison, English-speaking users on Steam accounted for 23.79% in the same period.?

Alongside this week's highlights, here are some other notable stories from the world of video games.

Monday 3rd March

• Steam tops 40 million concurrent players for the first time
• Call of Duty could still come to PS4 and Xbox One this year?

Tuesday 4th March

• Monster Hunter Wilds is Capcom's fastest-selling game ever
• Sumo Group sells publishing business Secret Mode

Wednesday 5th March

• US tariffs threaten the future of physical video games
• Acclaim Entertainment reborn as indie game publisher

Thursday 6th March

• Sony launches new beta program for PlayStation
• Sega beats Capcom to become Metacritic’s top game publisher of 2024

Friday 7th March

• Monster Hunter producer promoted to Capcom’s Chief Product Officer
• Respawn’s secret new FPS game has been cancelled

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And that’s a wrap! We’ll be back next week to brighten up your Friday morning with another round of all the biggest stories in video games.

BGM