Game On: ‘ARC Raiders’ passes 12M units sold

“Game On” is The Fly’s weekly recap of the stories powering up or beating down video game stocks.

‘ARC RAIDERS’: Multiplayer shooter game “ARC Raiders,” developed and published by Nexon-owned (NEXOF) Embark Studios, has had 91% player retention on Steam since its release in late October, Forbes’ Paul Tassi reported last week. The game’s all-time user peak in mid-November was 481,000 players, and to start 2026, the game hit about 439,000 concurrent players on the platform, the author notes. For comparison, Electronic Arts’ (EA) hit shooter “Battlefield 6” had 747,000 Steam players at launch and just 113,000 in its most recent peak, marking an 85% loss in concurrent players, Tassi said. Both games are live service player-vs-player titles, the author noted.

Meanwhile, “ARC Raiders,” which launched for PC, Xbox Series X/S (MSFT), and PlayStation 5 (SONY) on October 30, 2025, passed 12M units sold this past weekend, according to Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott. Sunday, January 4, was also the game’s biggest day yet in terms of daily active users, reaching 3.2M DAUs, Elliott noted.

CD PROJEKT/GOG: Early last week, Michal Kicinski, one of the co-founders of CD Projekt (OTGLY) and the co-founder of PC gaming storefront GOG, has acquired GOG from CD Projekt, according to a blog post. “We believe the games that shaped us deserve to stay alive: easy to find, buy, download, and play forever,” GOG said in a statement. “But time is annoyingly good at erasing them. Rights get tangled, compatibility breaks, builds disappear, and a nostalgic evening often turns into a troubleshooting session. That’s the difference between “I’m playing today” (the game lives on) and “I’ll play someday” (the game dies). As Micha put it: “GOG stands for freedom, independence, and genuine control.” GOG has always been built on strong values and clear principles. When Marcin Iwinski and Micha Kicinski first came up with the idea for GOG in 2007, the vision was simple: bring classic games back to players, and make sure that once you buy a game, it truly belongs to you, forever. In a market increasingly defined by mandatory clients and closed ecosystems, that philosophy feels more relevant than ever. This new chapter is about doubling down on that vision. We want to do more to preserve the classics of the past, celebrate standout games of today, and help shape the classics of tomorrow, including new games with real retro spirit.” GOG added that games on the platform will still be DRM-free and that it plans to maintain its relationship with CD Projekt, with CD Projekt Red games such as “Cyberpunk” and “The Witcher” still available for purchase on the platform, as well as upcoming titles from the studio.

ROBLOX ADS: On Tuesday, Roblox (RBLX) announced new “immersive” ad formats, with the company saying it is scaling its advertising platform with new formats and tools designed to “solidify Roblox as an essential channel where brands can measure results and build authentic, lasting connections with Gen Z and Gen Alpha users.” “Today, we are introducing the Homepage Feature-a premium format that connects brands directly to the next generation on the Roblox homepage, which is the starting point for over 151 million daily active users,” Roblox said. “This new ad unit delivers brand-building reach with CPM-based buying, supported by key targeting and measurement options. When users click the ad, they experience the brand’s video creative transformed into an immersive, 3D environment without the need for complex development.”

MORE VIDEO GAME NEWS:

• Intel (INTC) plans to launch a handheld gaming platform with Panther Lake chips, The Verge reports
• Xbox console sales fell 39% in the U.K. during 2025, The Game Business says