Remasters are getting a cold reception more and more often, and gamers are clearly voting with their wallets. New research shows that in the last two years, consumers have spent over twice as much money on remakes as on remasters.
In recent years, the gaming industry has been flooded with remasters, which—let’s be honest—often don’t evoke much excitement among players. Just recall the reactions to the refreshes of titles like Until Dawn, The Last of Us: Part II, or Horizon Zero Dawn. A lot of fans didn’t get why there was a need to interfere with games that were already great as they were.
The situation is quite different when it comes to remakes, though. According to the latest research by Ampere Analysis, over the past two years, video game consumers have spent more than twice as much on new games compared to remasters.
According to the report, productions from both categories released in 2024–2025 attracted a total of 72.4 million players on Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam. These players spent about 1.4 billion dollars on full game versions and microtransactions. Among the 42 titles studied (15 remakes and 27 remasters), the average global spending on remakes was 2.2 times higher than on remasters.
Ampere points out that while remakes can breathe new life into classic brands and attract new fans, they need a lot more investment in development, marketing, and time. On the other hand, remasters are a quicker and cheaper solution, but usually offer «less engagement.» This also affects their higher price.
Of course, there are exceptions. The study highlights that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered earned $180 million in revenue and had 7 million active users each month (which jumped to 9 million after three months).
Katie Holt, a senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, explains that with the rising costs of game and brand development, publishers are turning more towards their catalogs in search of «safe» ways to earn money:
Publishers deciding between a full remake versus a remaster have to balance franchise planning, investment risk, age of content, platform support, and more when choosing which route to take.
It’s no wonder, then, that remakes—such as Silent Hill 2—are more appreciated by the community. They offer a chance to bring classic stories back to life in a fresh, modern way, rather than just making minor tweaks that often end up being more boring than exciting.
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