Game News - Fallout 4 Mods, Steam's Insane Revenue
# Weekly Game News Recap: A Deep Dive into the Latest Updates
## 1. **Fallout 4 Mod Brings Seasons to the Wastelands**
Steve kicks off his recap by discussing an exciting new mod for *Fallout 4*. This mod introduces seasons to the game's desolate terrain, transforming the environment with dynamic changes:
- **Desolate Winter**: The landscape is covered in snow, creating steep snow banks and a gray, somber atmosphere.
- **Tesla It's Sprained (Summer)**: Bright summer days are filled with green scenery and fiercely sunny weather.
- **Sombren Fall**: Autumn brings changing leaves, adding vibrant colors to the otherwise lifeless wasteland.
While the mod currently requires players to manually switch seasons, the developer aims to implement dynamic season changes in the future. However, Steve notes that *Fallout 4*'s lack of an official toolkit limits the mod's potential for now.
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## 2. **Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Tops Physical Retail Charts**
Activision's *Call of Duty* franchise continues its dominance in the gaming industry. According to a new study by the NPD Group, *Black Ops 3* is the best-selling physical retail game of 2015 with an impressive 250 million copies sold.
The list of top sellers includes:
- Madden NFL 16
- *Fallout 4*
- *Battlefront*
- Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5), which took fifth place.
Steve highlights the shrinking market for physical games, noting that almost no PC players buy boxed copies anymore. Still, these numbers provide insight into the popularity of console and casual gaming.
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## 3. **Steam Winter Sales: A Digital Success Story**
Switching gears to digital sales, a report by Medium.com reveals Valve's impressive performance during its winter sale event:
- **46 million games sold**: This includes over 310,000 copies of *Fallout 4*, generating $14 million in revenue, and 339,000 copies of GTA 5, earning $11 million.
- **$270 million in gross revenue**: This is just from the winter sale, excluding other income sources.
The top sellers on Steam during the sale were:
1. *Counter Strike: Global Offensive* with 575,000 sales and $4 million in revenue.
2. *Rocket League* with 407,000 sales and $5 million in revenue.
3. GTA 5 with 339,000 sales.
The indie title *Undertale*, with 312,000 sales and $2.2 million in revenue, stood out as a massive achievement for its small developer.
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## 4. **ESPN Enters the eSports Arena**
In a significant move, ESPN has announced plans to cover eSports events. The network has launched a new hub dedicated to gaming and hired experienced eSports reporters like Slasher (from GameSpot) and Darren Quillen Ski.
Interestingly, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick aims to turn MLG (acquired by Activision for $46 million) into an "ESPN of eSports." Activision has also brought on Steve Bornstein, former ESPN CEO, to lead its eSports efforts.
Steve speculates on how this competition between ESPN and Activision's new network will unfold in the coming years, especially with both companies ramping up their coverage through 2016.
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## 5. **Intel Extreme Masters: A Major Women’s eSports Event**
Wrapping up his recap, Steve highlights Intel's Extreme Masters (IEM) challenge. The next event will feature the *Intel Extreme Masters Expo*, a women's *Counter-Strike: Global Offensive* league offering $30,000 in prizes.
The tournament will take place March 4th to 6th, coinciding with the main IEM event. With such a substantial prize pool, this is one of the largest women’s eSports events to date and promises intense FPS action.
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## Conclusion
Steve wraps up by encouraging viewers to check out Gamers Nexus Net for ongoing coverage and mentions his Patreon link. He thanks his audience and signs off with "It's a sport, directly!" before signing off until next time.
This week's recap covers a wide range of gaming news, from mods and sales figures to the growing influence of eSports and major events. Stay tuned for more updates in Steve's next episode!