Mini_Moonpie

Small correction - they said they *gained *15 million players, not that they *sold *15 million new copies - the Sims 4 base game is free to play. Also, there was some recent backlash around how Inzoi handles LGBTQ characters and EA seemingly capitalized on that by releasing a big LGBTQ update for free, months ahead of pride month. So, they might be sweating it a little. But, Sims is on a whole other level culturally than a lot of games, it's got a lot of players that play only the Sims franchise, and it's been doing well enough to keep a steady stream of DLC coming out for years now.

It will be funny if they make it free to play because they think maximizing player count will translate into more shark card money than box price + shark cards. Not that I think that is likely, just a funny possibility.

I use Appsales to catch sales on paid games: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=appsales&c=apps

Seconding this recommendation. You can find it on the Play store here: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=mini%20review&c=apps&hl=en_US. And, you can find the website here: https://minireview.io/

If the list on PCGamingWiki is up to date, there aren't many Epic exclusives anymore (only 26 currently): https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/List_of_games_exclusive_to_Epic_Games_Store

And, earlier this year, Tim Sweeney said that many of exclusivity deals weren't a good investment while the free games have been "magical."

So, it seems like a problem that is solving itself over time. Epic will probably still have exclusives going forward, but I would expect them to target a few high-value exclusives like they got with Alan Wake 2. Or, maybe they will just do more acquisitions of games to self-publish, like they did with Rocket League and Fall Guys.

The article says that comment came from a CEO of another game company, not players. Tim Bender, the CEO of the publisher for The Manor Lord, said "Players are happy, the developer is happy, and we as publisher are thrilled beyond belief." I don't understand where the post title that says he cited gamer expectations came from.

There are a lot of great suggestions here already, so I will just share Mini Review with you as a discovery tool. I like to use them because they have a lot of filters to help you find a mobile game. For example, here's their list for free, single-player, offline games with no ads or in app purchases, sorted by highest user score. They also have an app for both Android and iOS with the same info and filtering as the site.

Apparently, they have twice as many players on PS4.

Have you tried Itch.io? They have a lot of Gameboy and NES roms that are "Name your own price." I don't have any recommendations - I've just started poking around with homebrew roms myself.

• https://itch.io/games/top-rated/downloadable/free/tag-nes-rom
• https://itch.io/games/top-rated/downloadable/free/tag-gameboy-rom

Those responsible for sacking everyone have been sacked.

What is your source on multiplayer games being more popular and prevalent than single player? Because a cursory search only turns up the opposite preference. You're ignoring the parts of my argument that don't suit you as well, like playing only with friends, so I don't think you're really being an honest interlocutor. That leads me to believe you are probably a player that bullies other players, which is why you're so strongly anti-moderation.

• https://www.statista.com/statistics/259577/us-single-player-vs-multiplayer-frequency-among-gamers "According to an October 2022 survey of PC and console gamers in the United States, over half of respondents stated that they spent about 75 to 100 percent of their gaming time playing alone."

• https://www.midiaresearch.com/blog/single-player-vs-multiplayer-a-generational-changing-of-the-guards-or-a-bifurcation-of-gamer-behaviours "57% of gamers prefer single-player over multiplayer games, compared to 22% who prefer multiplayer games. While the overall preference for the single player mode holds true across all age segments, the degree to which the single player mode is preferred differs significantly with age."

You don't know what is true? That people can't stop playing a game? That developers care about players quitting their game? It's trivially easy to play video games and avoid trolls. There are single player games. You can play only with friends or family. You can play live service with lots of solo-oriented content and mute the chat. It's not a hyperbolic choice between playing video games or avoiding all social interaction in life period - that's a very "terminally online" kind of perspective. Normal people reduce toxic interactions where they can, they don't think, "Welp, I either put up with constant bigotry and rape threats in this totally optional entertainment or I have to move out to a shack in the woods."