The Battlefield 6 beta has broken Call of Duty's Steam player count record, surging past half a million concurrents
First spotted by Battlefield Bulletin on Twitter, Battlefield 6's open beta is doing spectacularly well on Steam: Around 500,000 concurrent players at the time of writing, down from a peak of 521,079 according to SteamDB. That puts the BF6 beta at 18th place for peak concurrents in Steam history, two spots ahead of the unified Call of Duty app's peak of 491,670 players in November 2022.
Some caveats on the Call of Duty comparison: Steam concurrents never show the whole picture for multiplatform games, and even on PC, CoD's numbers are complicated by Battle.net and especially Game Pass, which assuredly blunted Black Ops 6's Steam peak last year.
But this is still an insanely impressive showing for an open beta, and more supporting evidence that the recently rather one-sided CoD-Battlefield rivalry could be a real race this year. PCG FPS expert Morgan Park certainly thinks so on quality grounds, while former Blizzard president Mike Ybara seems to be rooting against his former team with prognostications in favor of Battlefield 6.
For a more apples to apples comparison of player counts, The Battlefield 6 beta was already the most-played game in the series on Steam on its first day of availability, when it was only playable by Battlefield Labs members. It now has five times the number of players as Battlefield 2042's peak player count set in 2023, two years after launch and buoyed by its long comeback tour.
You can still get in on the action this weekend, and EA will run another open beta next weekend from Thursday August 14 through Sunday August 17. EA has shared instructions on how to access the beta on its website—it's another one of those Twitch stream code drop deals. Battlefield 6 will release in full on October 10, and blessedly isn't an $80 game—just a $70 one. Chump change for a high roller like me. Walkin' around money.
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Forbes
31 minutes ago
- Forbes
How A Pokemon Parody Musical Is Cleverly Skewering Our Childhood
Brandon Zelman and Harrison Bryan are grabbing life by the balls! Maybe I should back up for a second. Like most millennials, the creative partners grew up on a steady diet of Pokémon. From the video games, to the collectable trading cards, to the anime TV series, the wonderful world of Pocket Monsters was — and continues to be — a cornerstone of their respective identities. "I'm a lifelong fan,' Zelman, who hosts a Pokémon-centric podcast, declares over Zoom. 'And now we're coming up on the 30th year. It's so crazy to have been a fan of something for that long and for it to have been engaging the whole time.' Meanwhile, Bryan (creator of A Hanukkah Carol) recently attempted to beat the original Pokémon Blue with nothing but a roster of Meowths. Pretty hardcore. Given the duo's undying affection for the franchise, it only made sense for them to write — what else? — an immersive Pokémon parody musical! And given that Pokémon trainers catch and store their pugilistic creatures in nifty orbs that fit snugly on one's belt, the project could only be named — what else? — BALLS: The Monster-Catchin' Musical Comedy, which has enjoyed an extremely limited pop-up run throughout New York City these last few months. 'We were sort of averse to the typical parody, things that are just a little too one-to-one for us,' Zelman explains. 'So we set off with the intention of playing in this sandbox of a slightly existing world and then subverting it; restructuring it into our own sand castles to create an original story that was as much about our relationship to the video game and anime in the '90s as it was about the material itself.' 'As we developed the piece, as we wrote it, as we created these songs and these scenes, we never lost sight of how excited our 10-year-old [selves] would be that we get to re-examine our childhood through this parody,' echoes Bryan, who also stars in the show as the antagonistic Warlordturtle. That's just one of 151 original 'Collectabuddies" — all of whom have their own 'satiric game cards' and are safe from incurring the wrath of the notoriously litigious Nintendo, which owns stake in the Pokémon franchise — created for BALLS. 'It's really both a celebration and an evolution of the material,' Zelman affirms. 'We managed to dance our way through where we never actually quite touch any trademarked material. It was an elegant dance around any of that kind of stuff. We're really, really proud of the material and the world that we created out of it.' The resultant book and lyrics shine a hilarious spotlight on the dubious premise Pokémon presents: encouraging the player to capture wild animals and force them into combat. 'There's this suspension of disbelief when you're playing it,' notes Zelman. 'Obviously, we're in this magical world, this is how it works. The monsters listen, you tell them what to do, you capture them, you fight them, and all of this is totally kosher. It's the basis of this whole society.' 'What does it mean to capture a wild monster and force it to be my friend and fight other monsters?' muses Bryan. 'These are the ethical and kind of hilarious questions we now get to explore in our 30s when, at 10-years-old, we were just begging for more and never asking." Another question they both had: 'What if the non-playable character becomes the hero?' To that end, BALLS imagines a reality where the kindly Professor NPC who offers you a choice of three starter monsters is actually the one who created both the technology and normalized culture of trapping living things in spherical prisons. This plan to make the world safe by rebranding wild animals into 'Collectabuddies' eventually blows up in The Professor's face like a self-destructing Electrode and sparks an adventure that also ropes in the man's 'piece of sh** — aka The Rival (Teresa Attridge dialing the insufferable Gary Oak archetype up to eleven). 'The major relationship in the show is between an older generation and a younger generation fighting over what's right about this world,' explains Bryan, who doesn't 'see a ton of parody musicals' with messages about defying limitations (both personal and societal) and the critical need for environmental conservation. 'We've been in contact and partnership with the New York Marine Rescue Center, and some of our our proceeds have gone to helping these turtles get rehabilitated and returned to the wild. We've even adopted a turtle.' He later continues: 'We have embraced the interactivity of the raw material and [the fact] that this show is not just a theater experience. This show is also a game. It is also a cartoon … It's very rare to experience both a non-scripted narrative and a very precise, timed-out musical to a track. We are so ambitious in how we tell this story that I think traditional theatergoers will be like, 'Wow, look at these theatrical conceptions!' And non-theater goers are going into this and saying, 'Wow, what a party!'" To raise money for the multimedia production that involves everything from puppets to video segments, the creators turned to Kickstarter, ultimately netting just over $36,000 out of a $30,000 goal and becoming one of the crowdfunding site's 'Projects We Love.' For the music, Zelman and Bryan called on composers like Lena Gabrielle (Emojiland), Pippa Cleary (The Great British Bake Off Musical), Joriah Kwamé (Little Miss Perfect), Aaron Kenny (The Little Mermaid), and Grace Yurchuk (Caesar: The Musical), Allan Nalven ("LSDJ"), and Matthew Ryan Hunter (NBC) for something in the vein of the "SpongeBob musical where you have a lot of different musical artists lending their voices to give that sort of eclectic feel," Zelman says. Allan Nalven even went so far as to compose music inside an actual GameBoy console 'to create the most authentic music and sound effects that you could achieve,' Zelman adds. And while the show is very much a satire, it never forgets to pay homage to the fandom that led to its existence in the first place. 'We were dedicated to making sure the lyrics were dense with Easter eggs. So you could go back, revisit it, and be like, 'Oh, that's a reference to that very, very niche memory I have of this very, very peculiar aspect of this thing that was buried in the back recesses of my brain!'' 'It's important to us that we're celebrating it while we're lampooning it,' agrees Bryan. "I think it's fair to say that in many respects, it shaped so much of our social interactions and friendships. That's really important to celebrate while lampooning." The creators also sought input from individuals who aren't die-hard Pokémon fans as a way to combat any rose-colored missteps. 'If they didn't love the story and characters, they wouldn't be as on board as they are now with this adventure,' Bryan explains. 'So I think working outside of our own fandom actually proved tremendous in the creative process.' About a month before BALLS was set to debut its first performance, however, the actor playing the Professor dropped out, leaving the entire production in the lurch. With nothing to lose, Zelman and Bryan made a Hail Mary offer to Stuart Zagnit, OG voice of Professor Oak in the English dub of the Pokémon anime series, never thinking he'd actually accept. 'It is a very strange merging of the things that are probably the most important to me,' Zagnit, a veteran of the musical theater scene, says of the meta casting. 'Having been involved with Pokémon for the first 10 years of its existence is something I'm very proud of, but I kind of put it in a different side of my life and career. It wasn't until the anime convention world really emerged that I re-embraced it. So now, to have a vehicle that actually blends both sides of my professional performing career, is kind of like a dream that I never imagined would be realized.' One thing's for certain: this ain't the kindly Professor of you remember, with BALLS taking Zagnit to 'places I have never gone before,' he says. 'People get to hear me say really off color-things that I would never have said [in the anime]. It's kind of fun to let go and be in that persona, but also be breaking out of the persona at the same time.' Zelman adds that a lot of the "crude, rude, and lewd stuff' contained within the show isn't just for shock value. "It's all there because when you're a little kid and you have the power to name your character, you might just go ahead and call them 'Butthead,'' he notes. 'That might be an act of rebellion, [but] you walk around and you get a laugh every single time. We're trying to really lock into that youthful feeling of picking up a game and entering this world that's familiar, but different every time.' Because of the pop-up rollout, there have only been about a week's worth of BALLS performances across a period of fourth months, according to Zagnit's estimate (those wishing to check it out can follow the official Instagram for regular announcements). But if the team has its way, this smattering of shows is the start of something much bigger, 'the beginning of a movement," Bryan says. 'I think what we're creating here is really special, and there's a huge community for it in New York and around the world. There is a renaissance of independent theater-making Off-Broadway that is proving to be a more sustainable model than the large, corporate worlds of the Broadway theaters. If we can help pave a way for more theater makers who are game to think outside the box and include audiences of larger accessibilities, then that would be a very noble endeavor for BALLS.' 'We've got all kinds of dreams,' Zelman finishes. 'As we continue to grow and reach our audience, we're really trying to find ways to touch people who maybe aren't so familiar with theater, but are familiar with our inspiration. So we want to go to conventions. We want to take it out on the road and meet people where they are … I want to be at trading card shows. I want to have 'BALLS Fest.' I'm hungry for it. I want people to meet our monsters, see our show, and celebrate with us." Zagnit closes out the discussion by appealing to potential investors, who have a unique opportunity 'to get in on the ground floor" of a project with plenty of room to — dare I say it? — evolve. 'There's a big audience out there that just wants to go and have a good time," he concludes. "And we certainly give them a good time.' The musical will enjoy a panel at this year's edition of New York Comic Con with the Q&A discussion moderated by none other than Veronica Taylor, the original voice of Ash Ketchum. More details can be found here!
The Verge
33 minutes ago
- The Verge
What my first five Steam purchases say about me
There's a meme currently going around Bluesky where people are posting their first purchases on Steam. Taking a look presents a neat time capsule, offering a glimpse of who we used to be. It also gives us a chance to compare our gaming habits now with what they were 10 or more years ago — that is, if you're one of the Olds that's been around that long. On a lark, I looked at mine and got the thrill of being able to place a date on when exactly my current life began. Sometimes, examining your earliest Steam purchases presents as many questions as answers. My very first Steam purchases were made on December 25th, 2010, and were all over the place in genre: Amnesia: The Dark Descent, the Left 4 Dead bundle, and Team Fortress 2. I played and enjoyed many hours of both Left 4 Dead and Amnesia, but to this very day, I have never stepped foot inside a TF2 lobby. TF2 was not my kind of game. Hero shooters wouldn't be a Thing for me until Overwatch blew down the doors of my anti-multiplayer shooter bunker and even then, it's only Overwatch. Not to mention that the stories of TF2 voice chat toxicity were the stuff of 4chan legend. My Black, female ass in a voice chat multiplayer lobby in 2010? Absolutely not! This list has kickstarted memories that I haven't reached for in decades, but I don't think I'll ever understand why I bought TF2. My next set of purchases came a few months later in January and February 2011: DC Universe Online and Rift. Why I bought these MMOs makes far more sense to me than my forever mysterious purchase of TF2. Before getting my Steam account, the only computer games I had ever played were MMOs and the Rise of Rome expansion from Age of Empires II. (If you want to know how the Roman Empire became my Roman Empire, look no further.) I was a big World of Warcraft player, but by that time, I had grown bored with it. 2011 would have been right between the Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria expansions, neither of which I particularly liked. I didn't really jive with DC Universe Online either, but I played it because, of all things, a boy. My boyfriend at the time was super into the MMO, in which you cosplay as heroes who take over when Wonder Woman and Batman are indisposed. Both my subscription and the relationship lasted longer than they should have. I remember the buzz surrounding Rift, a new-at-the-time MMO that was supposed to be the 'WoW killer' — unaware that such claims had been made about many other MMOs at the time. I remember very little about Rift, which is probably why my WoW subscription is more than 20 years old at this point. The fact that Dragon Age: Origins is on this list at all is another mystery. Before it, I had never played any BioWare games nor any narrative PC games. I don't remember who suggested it to me — maybe my boyfriend, maybe a friend at college. But the presence of this game on this list gives me an exact date for when my life changed as a gamer and a person: Saturday, March 19, 2011. Origins isn't my favorite in the series. In fact, it's the one I dread the most trying to replay. (I am mad as hell at the revelation from Dragon Age producer Mark Darrah that EA refused to fund a remaster of the series.) But it's the one that introduced me to narrative, choice-focused, and companion-romancing RPGs. It introduced me to my first BioWare romance Alistair Theirin, and as in all things regarding love, you never forget your first. Knowing when I bought this game puts me back in a place that I haven't thought of in literal decades. I played Origins on a tiny desktop computer tucked into the corner of my too-small living room. That was my first apartment with my boyfriend, and I felt grown for the first time, even though I was well into my early 20s. But even though I was cohabitating with a real man, I was obsessed with the pixelated one in my computer. So obsessed that I taught myself to mod just to add more, shall we say, 'narrative' scenes between my Warden character and Alistair. There's even a funny bit of environmental storytelling with this list. After Origins, I didn't make another Steam purchase for more than a year. The game took over my life. The rest is history. My introduction to the Dragon Age series brought me into the Dragon Age fandom. Through it, I would meet my best and longest friends, rediscover my love of writing, and with that instigating spark, start the journey that would lead me to becoming a game journalist — the second-best decision I've made in my life. (The first being finally letting go of that previous relationship.) I really appreciate that Steam has kept such a thorough accounting of my early activities on the platform because it's put a date on the origin of the person that I am today. Go look at yours and see how much you've changed. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Ash Parrish Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All PC Gaming
Geek Girl Authority
an hour ago
- Geek Girl Authority
F2P Friday: CULT OF PIN
Welcome to this week's installment of F2P Friday, where we highlight our favorite Free-2-Play games. New video games hit the market daily from indie developers, and sometimes, hidden gems fall through the cracks. This is where we dig for you and feature a new F2P game we know you will enjoy every week. In this edition, we have three balls and a moral duty to save the mortal realm from the Cult of PIN in this rougelike pinball game. RELATED: Need more free games? Check out our F2P Friday archives! Cult of PIN Cult of PiN is a roguelike Pinball game requiring sharp reflexes and strategic combos. Collect powerful Glyphs to enhance your damage and smash your way through as many stages as possible to claim a place on the global leaderboard. The Basics Let's get down to the basics of Cult of PiN by KennyMakesGames. It is the first game from a solo game developer, and they are actively responding to bugs or critiques. I didn't encounter any bugs in the web browser and loved the way the tables handled. Master the cradled ramp shot to complete tasks, hit hard-to-reach mission targets and purchase run-altering mystical Glyphs to beat each table stage, destroying all the bumpers to move onto the next one. Discover hidden bonus tables and unlock new Balls and Glyphs for future runs. Perfect your nudge and trick shot skills to reach Act VI on each table to claim victory. After that, continue playing in endless mode to secure your spot on the leaderboards for each table. RELATED: July's Most Anticipated Video Games Tips: Decipher Gliphs to trigger large-scale damage events Watch for Curses and Bumper variants that change gameplay The red number under your score in the damage multiplier Check for updates often for bug patches Controls: Flip Left – Left Ctrl, Mouse Left Click or Gamepad Left Trigger – Left Ctrl, Mouse Left Click or Gamepad Left Trigger Flip Right – Right Ctrl, Mouse Right Click or Gamepad Right Trigger – Right Ctrl, Mouse Right Click or Gamepad Right Trigger Nudge – Spacebar, Mouse Middle Click, Gamepad Button South RELATED: Mobile Game Monday: Relive Sega Channel With Sonic the Hedgehog Why Should I Play? So why should you play Cult of PiN ? This occult pinball game combines retro nostalgia and visceral visuals to create a unique experience. One of the first games I can remember playing on the computer was a preloaded Pinball game, and this has the same satisfying gameplay with a fresh, horror skin. You can check out the trailer below for a look at the visuals and a preview of the satisfying sound design. Think you have the skills to banish the cosmic horrors from the machines? Play Cult of PiN for free in your browser or download it from F2P Friday: TINY LITTLE COFFEE SHOP FOR DOGS
