Mat Piscatella
@matpiscatella.bsky.social
Senior Director & Video Game Industry Thought Leader at Circana. Formerly of Activision and Warner Bros Games. I helped get one of your favorite games greenlit.
Pinned
Upcoming U.S. video game market results from Circana:
Coverage Month - Public Release Date
Nov (Nov 2 - Nov 29) - Dec 17
Dec (Nov 30 - Jan 3) - Jan 22
Digital Data Sharing Participating Publishers:
Coverage Month - Public Release Date
Nov (Nov 2 - Nov 29) - Dec 17
Dec (Nov 30 - Jan 3) - Jan 22
Digital Data Sharing Participating Publishers:
Happy Thanksgivng, nerds!
(What happens when you married someone who has to work ER shifts during the actual day)
(What happens when you married someone who has to work ER shifts during the actual day)
November 25, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Happy Thanksgivng, nerds!
(What happens when you married someone who has to work ER shifts during the actual day)
(What happens when you married someone who has to work ER shifts during the actual day)
Reposted by Mat Piscatella
I also highly recommend this, though I'm a bit biased: open.spotify.com/episode/4mVS...
November 24, 2025 at 9:21 PM
I also highly recommend this, though I'm a bit biased: open.spotify.com/episode/4mVS...
"As they prepare to cook and serve meals at their home or at another person’s home, consumers are stretching their budgets. In general, shoppers remain wary on the spending front, facing 30%+ higher food and beverage prices compared to 2019 and without a similar hike in wages."
2025 Thanksgiving Consumer Behavior Trends | Circana
Although 89% of foods and beverage for at-home Thanksgiving dinners are sourced from retail stores, Circana expects that 11% of Thanksgiving meals will include items purchased from a foodservice opera...
www.circana.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:24 PM
"As they prepare to cook and serve meals at their home or at another person’s home, consumers are stretching their budgets. In general, shoppers remain wary on the spending front, facing 30%+ higher food and beverage prices compared to 2019 and without a similar hike in wages."
Reposted by Mat Piscatella
Terrible launch for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in Europe. The game sold 63% fewer copies at launch compared with Battlefield 6. It's also more than 60% down over last year's Black Ops 6. (Digital and physical sales. GSD Data) www.thegamebusiness.com/p/call-of-du...
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 European launch sales are 63% down over Battlefield 6
But a strong launch for Ubisoft's Anno 117: Pax Romana
www.thegamebusiness.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Terrible launch for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 in Europe. The game sold 63% fewer copies at launch compared with Battlefield 6. It's also more than 60% down over last year's Black Ops 6. (Digital and physical sales. GSD Data) www.thegamebusiness.com/p/call-of-du...
Circana Player Engagement Tracker - Top 15 Titles by Total Weekly Active Users (Not Concurrent) - W/E Nov 15, 2025
- Arc Raiders reaches #1 on Steam US, climbing on console
- Where Winds Meet debuts top 15 on PS and Steam US/CAN
- Call of Duty HQ returns to #1 on XBX
- Battlefield 6 drops on PS/XBX
- Arc Raiders reaches #1 on Steam US, climbing on console
- Where Winds Meet debuts top 15 on PS and Steam US/CAN
- Call of Duty HQ returns to #1 on XBX
- Battlefield 6 drops on PS/XBX
November 24, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Circana Player Engagement Tracker - Top 15 Titles by Total Weekly Active Users (Not Concurrent) - W/E Nov 15, 2025
- Arc Raiders reaches #1 on Steam US, climbing on console
- Where Winds Meet debuts top 15 on PS and Steam US/CAN
- Call of Duty HQ returns to #1 on XBX
- Battlefield 6 drops on PS/XBX
- Arc Raiders reaches #1 on Steam US, climbing on console
- Where Winds Meet debuts top 15 on PS and Steam US/CAN
- Call of Duty HQ returns to #1 on XBX
- Battlefield 6 drops on PS/XBX
Highly recommend the latest Button Mash podcast on Steam's viral hits of 2025 with Ben Lindbergh, Simon Carless and Morgan Park digging into the whats and hows and whys of some of the year's biggest hits, if you're into that kind of thing.
November 24, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Highly recommend the latest Button Mash podcast on Steam's viral hits of 2025 with Ben Lindbergh, Simon Carless and Morgan Park digging into the whats and hows and whys of some of the year's biggest hits, if you're into that kind of thing.
I kinda dig when I buy a game, bounce off it every time I try it and then one day years later it really clicks and I want to play nothing else.
Anyways, Nobody Saves the World is really neat. Dungeon crawly, transform into lots of characters, colorful, silly, from the Guacamelee folks.
Anyways, Nobody Saves the World is really neat. Dungeon crawly, transform into lots of characters, colorful, silly, from the Guacamelee folks.
Nobody Saves the World on Steam
Transform from a featureless nobody into a SLUG, a GHOST and a DRAGON in this new take on Action RPGs from the creators of Guacamelee! Discover 15+ distinct Forms, mix-and-match their abilities, clear...
store.steampowered.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:29 PM
I kinda dig when I buy a game, bounce off it every time I try it and then one day years later it really clicks and I want to play nothing else.
Anyways, Nobody Saves the World is really neat. Dungeon crawly, transform into lots of characters, colorful, silly, from the Guacamelee folks.
Anyways, Nobody Saves the World is really neat. Dungeon crawly, transform into lots of characters, colorful, silly, from the Guacamelee folks.
Reposted by Mat Piscatella
I spoke with people role-playing ICE raids in video games to help educate people on their rights and what to do in real-life situations. Tonight, they're holding an event in Fortnite www.wired.com/story/activi...
November 21, 2025 at 10:16 PM
I spoke with people role-playing ICE raids in video games to help educate people on their rights and what to do in real-life situations. Tonight, they're holding an event in Fortnite www.wired.com/story/activi...
Reposted by Mat Piscatella
Reposted by Mat Piscatella
20 years ago today Xbox 360 launched. The power was never the console - it was you. You camped out at midnight, built lasting communities, and showed us what gaming could mean. You made that generation endure for two decades. Thank you.
November 22, 2025 at 4:05 PM
20 years ago today Xbox 360 launched. The power was never the console - it was you. You camped out at midnight, built lasting communities, and showed us what gaming could mean. You made that generation endure for two decades. Thank you.
Happy 20th to the Xbox 360!
The Xbox 360 sold 42.7M consoles in the US lifetime, with Call of Duty: Black Ops II being its best-selling game in the US in both units and dollars.
The 360 Headset led accessory SKUs in US units sold at over 11.4M.
Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service
The Xbox 360 sold 42.7M consoles in the US lifetime, with Call of Duty: Black Ops II being its best-selling game in the US in both units and dollars.
The 360 Headset led accessory SKUs in US units sold at over 11.4M.
Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service
November 22, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Happy 20th to the Xbox 360!
The Xbox 360 sold 42.7M consoles in the US lifetime, with Call of Duty: Black Ops II being its best-selling game in the US in both units and dollars.
The 360 Headset led accessory SKUs in US units sold at over 11.4M.
Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service
The Xbox 360 sold 42.7M consoles in the US lifetime, with Call of Duty: Black Ops II being its best-selling game in the US in both units and dollars.
The 360 Headset led accessory SKUs in US units sold at over 11.4M.
Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service
To this day this is how I feel about Pac-Man on the Atari 2600.
Sonuvabitch I was robbed.
Sonuvabitch I was robbed.
I spent my allowance on that piece of shit and I'm still kinda mad about it.
November 21, 2025 at 8:43 PM
To this day this is how I feel about Pac-Man on the Atari 2600.
Sonuvabitch I was robbed.
Sonuvabitch I was robbed.
Tbh kids today have no idea how hyped Spore was before it came out. It was GTA VI levels of hype for its day and then it came out and was just Spore.
I’m excited to sit down with this new game I bought. It’s called Spore ever heard of it? Now where is my cd-drive….
November 21, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Tbh kids today have no idea how hyped Spore was before it came out. It was GTA VI levels of hype for its day and then it came out and was just Spore.
So, uh, tbh I dunno about you but I'm not sure I've ever needed a Thanksgiving break more ever.
How you doin?
How you doin?
November 21, 2025 at 8:23 PM
So, uh, tbh I dunno about you but I'm not sure I've ever needed a Thanksgiving break more ever.
How you doin?
How you doin?
Reposted by Mat Piscatella
If we have a kid we are absolutely forbidding Roblox. I know I will inevitably cave on a number of other stupid things all their little friends are doing, but this is a hard line in the sand that no amount of screaming will change.
Oh my god that is the worst possible answer
November 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
If we have a kid we are absolutely forbidding Roblox. I know I will inevitably cave on a number of other stupid things all their little friends are doing, but this is a hard line in the sand that no amount of screaming will change.
Reposted by Mat Piscatella
I'm disappointed paid items and loot boxes are coming to Fortnite. It's clear they're spooked by Roblox and worried they're losing younger players, so they're incorporating the worst parts of Roblox. I wrote about what parents can do for @crossplayblog.bsky.social www.crossplay.news/p/fortnite-i...
What Parents Should Know About the Loot Box Changes Coming to Fortnite
For now, "Battle Royale" mode seems off limits. But within other "Island" experiences, you should be aware of what you can and cannot control for your children.
www.crossplay.news
November 20, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I'm disappointed paid items and loot boxes are coming to Fortnite. It's clear they're spooked by Roblox and worried they're losing younger players, so they're incorporating the worst parts of Roblox. I wrote about what parents can do for @crossplayblog.bsky.social www.crossplay.news/p/fortnite-i...
Upcoming U.S. video game market results from Circana:
Coverage Month - Public Release Date
Nov (Nov 2 - Nov 29) - Dec 17
Dec (Nov 30 - Jan 3) - Jan 22
Digital Data Sharing Participating Publishers:
Coverage Month - Public Release Date
Nov (Nov 2 - Nov 29) - Dec 17
Dec (Nov 30 - Jan 3) - Jan 22
Digital Data Sharing Participating Publishers:
November 21, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Upcoming U.S. video game market results from Circana:
Coverage Month - Public Release Date
Nov (Nov 2 - Nov 29) - Dec 17
Dec (Nov 30 - Jan 3) - Jan 22
Digital Data Sharing Participating Publishers:
Coverage Month - Public Release Date
Nov (Nov 2 - Nov 29) - Dec 17
Dec (Nov 30 - Jan 3) - Jan 22
Digital Data Sharing Participating Publishers:
The last Shooter genre game to outsell Call of Duty in the US market over a full year was Gears of War, in 2006. The last FPS to do so was Star Wars: Battlefront II a year prior.
A Call of Duty game has been the US market's best-seller in 13 of the past 16 years (GTAV, RDRII, Hogwarts Legacy).
A Call of Duty game has been the US market's best-seller in 13 of the past 16 years (GTAV, RDRII, Hogwarts Legacy).
November 21, 2025 at 1:18 PM
The last Shooter genre game to outsell Call of Duty in the US market over a full year was Gears of War, in 2006. The last FPS to do so was Star Wars: Battlefront II a year prior.
A Call of Duty game has been the US market's best-seller in 13 of the past 16 years (GTAV, RDRII, Hogwarts Legacy).
A Call of Duty game has been the US market's best-seller in 13 of the past 16 years (GTAV, RDRII, Hogwarts Legacy).
Reposted by Mat Piscatella
The amount of people I know who have been laid off from games industry jobs and are deciding to leave games entirely as a result is not only extremely saddening (of course), but also genuinely scary. We have lost legitimately thousands of years of knowledge and experience in the last four years.
November 21, 2025 at 2:13 AM
The amount of people I know who have been laid off from games industry jobs and are deciding to leave games entirely as a result is not only extremely saddening (of course), but also genuinely scary. We have lost legitimately thousands of years of knowledge and experience in the last four years.
ICYMI, here's the full thread of October 2025 US Video Game Market Results from Circana and our friends at Sensor Tower.
October 2025 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights Thread from Circana - Battlefield 6, mobile content and Switch 2 hardware were among the drivers of total projected US spending on video game hardware, content and accessories reaching $4.9B in October 2025, growing 3% vs Oct 2024.
November 20, 2025 at 6:51 PM
ICYMI, here's the full thread of October 2025 US Video Game Market Results from Circana and our friends at Sensor Tower.
Among video games selling 1 new physical unit in Oct (US):
360 Burnout Paradise
3DS Carnival Games: Wild West 3D
GBA Incredibles 2: Rise of the Underminer
NDA Imagine Fashion Stylist
PC Spore
PS2 Backyard Baseball (!!!!)
PS3 Hasbro Family Game Night 3
PS4 Cooking Mama Cookstar
XBX Ultra Bust A Move
360 Burnout Paradise
3DS Carnival Games: Wild West 3D
GBA Incredibles 2: Rise of the Underminer
NDA Imagine Fashion Stylist
PC Spore
PS2 Backyard Baseball (!!!!)
PS3 Hasbro Family Game Night 3
PS4 Cooking Mama Cookstar
XBX Ultra Bust A Move
What games only sold one copy?
November 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Among video games selling 1 new physical unit in Oct (US):
360 Burnout Paradise
3DS Carnival Games: Wild West 3D
GBA Incredibles 2: Rise of the Underminer
NDA Imagine Fashion Stylist
PC Spore
PS2 Backyard Baseball (!!!!)
PS3 Hasbro Family Game Night 3
PS4 Cooking Mama Cookstar
XBX Ultra Bust A Move
360 Burnout Paradise
3DS Carnival Games: Wild West 3D
GBA Incredibles 2: Rise of the Underminer
NDA Imagine Fashion Stylist
PC Spore
PS2 Backyard Baseball (!!!!)
PS3 Hasbro Family Game Night 3
PS4 Cooking Mama Cookstar
XBX Ultra Bust A Move
Got a few minutes. If you have any questions on the October 2025 US video game results from Circana, well, fire away.
November 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Got a few minutes. If you have any questions on the October 2025 US video game results from Circana, well, fire away.
October 2025 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights Thread from Circana - Battlefield 6, mobile content and Switch 2 hardware were among the drivers of total projected US spending on video game hardware, content and accessories reaching $4.9B in October 2025, growing 3% vs Oct 2024.
November 20, 2025 at 2:02 PM
October 2025 U.S. Video Game Market Highlights Thread from Circana - Battlefield 6, mobile content and Switch 2 hardware were among the drivers of total projected US spending on video game hardware, content and accessories reaching $4.9B in October 2025, growing 3% vs Oct 2024.
Pretty good explanation of the k shaped economy that's also impacting the US games market.
We're seeing the highest percentage of console buyers being from high income households in tracked history.
youtube.com/shorts/RbSJt...
We're seeing the highest percentage of console buyers being from high income households in tracked history.
youtube.com/shorts/RbSJt...
What is the k-shaped economy?
YouTube video by CNN
youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Pretty good explanation of the k shaped economy that's also impacting the US games market.
We're seeing the highest percentage of console buyers being from high income households in tracked history.
youtube.com/shorts/RbSJt...
We're seeing the highest percentage of console buyers being from high income households in tracked history.
youtube.com/shorts/RbSJt...
Aw man an SD and Padre LEGEND.
Damn. Godspeed.
Damn. Godspeed.
RIP Randy Jones, 75, one of the most beloved players in San Diego Padres history and the 1976 NL Cy Young Award winner. Here's his SABR bio: sabr.org/bioproj/pers...
November 19, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Aw man an SD and Padre LEGEND.
Damn. Godspeed.
Damn. Godspeed.