As director Christopher Nolan's film 'Odyssey' gains momentum at the box office, the 2018 title 'Assassin's Creed Odyssey' is seeing an unexpected resurgence. According to Rhys Elliott of the analytics firm Alinia Analytics, the game's daily active user count jumped from 122k on the day of the film's release to 233k just ten days later—a nearly 90% increase. By platform, Xbox saw the largest surge, with a 130% increase to 84k users, while PlayStation users nearly doubled to 114k. Steam also saw a 26% increase.

Ubisoft did not miss this opportunity, launching a series of social media campaigns, including new posts on their channels. They also promoted the 'Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece' mode—which allows players to explore ancient Greece without combat—as supplemental content for moviegoers.

While the movie 'Odyssey' is based on Homer's 'Odyssey' and set during the Trojan War, and 'Assassin's Creed Odyssey' is set during the Peloponnesian War—a gap of about 800 years—the shared title, the common setting of ancient Greece, and the game's Aegean Sea backdrop are being cited as reasons for the shift in interest from movie fans to the game.

With the film set to premiere in Korea on August 5, attention is now turning to whether this surge in popularity for Assassin's Creed Odyssey will extend to the Korean market.

Sony has also launched a new sale page targeting the Marvel's Spider-Man franchise. Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 have been added to the discount list. Notably, following the successful domestic release of 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day,' Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered have climbed to 5th and 14th place, respectively, on the Korean Steam charts.

The trend of movies and TV series driving renewed interest in older titles within their respective universes has become common recently. In fact, when the 'Fallout' series premiered on Prime Video, concurrent player counts for Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout: New Vegas all saw a simultaneous rise. Similarly, the success of the Netflix animated series 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' once propelled Cyberpunk 2077 to the top of the sales charts.

ISSUE | Today's News

■ News | Steam Machine: Current pre-order customers to receive purchase links within the year

Valve has provided an update on the status of Steam Machine pre-orders and the waitlist.

Since shipping began at the end of June, support for FSR4.1 upgrades has been added to Proton Experimental, and CAD files for the Steam Machine's external structure have been released. Pre-orders are being processed daily in random order by product and region, and Valve stated that it expects all customers currently on the list to receive their purchase links within this year. As it appears that only existing waitlist orders will be fulfilled this year, new applicants are unlikely to be able to purchase one before the year ends. Valve has previously cited difficulties in securing supply due to memory component shortages.

NEW | Upcoming & Updates

■ Release | Kusan: City of Wolves

'Kusan: City of Wolves,' from the Korean developer CIRCLEfromDOT, has officially launched. The game is a hardcore top-down shooter where the protagonist, 'Jin,' attempts to thwart a coup planned by a former superior who betrayed him. It features 54 stages and boss battles with distinct patterns. The setting—a near-future port city rife with corruption and violence—boasts an impressive neon-soaked cyberpunk aesthetic. A key progression element involves using 'Bolts' earned through enemy elimination or successful parrying to upgrade the 'War Hand' prosthetic and other weapons. The developers have noted that they were influenced by the stylish melee action of games like 'Hotline Miami.

■ Release | Sephiria

'Sephiria,' the latest title from 'Dungreed' developer Team Horay, has officially transitioned to version 1. It has reached its full release 484 days after entering Early Access on April 3, 2025, following more than 50 updates. Set in a fallen tower, this top-down roguelite follows a rabbit protagonist who collects artifacts and stone tablets to save their village. It features over 50 individual upgrades for each of the 6 weapon types and supports up to 4-player co-op. The game has maintained an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating based on user reviews accumulated during its Early Access period.