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Ampere Study: Remakes Drove 2.2x Spending Over Remasters in 2024–25

Rising development costs are steering publishers toward remakes that deliver stronger returns.

Overview

  • Ampere tracked 42 re-releases between January 2024 and September 2025 across Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam.
  • Those titles drew 72.4 million players and $1.4 billion in spending, counting full-game purchases and microtransactions.
  • Spending on remakes outpaced remasters across the dataset, with examples like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Silent Hill 2 out-earning Gears of War: Reloaded despite similar peak player counts.
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered stood out as a rare remaster outlier, peaking near $180 million and about 7 million monthly active users.
  • Ampere says publishers are leaning on back-catalog updates as costs climb, though remakes require heavier investment, and the full report remains unpublished, leaving methodology and budget comparisons unclear.