The State of Gaming March 2023: Resident Evil 4, The Last of Us, Bayonetta Origins, Wo Long, Fatal Frame, Tchia, E3 Canceled, Tetris Movie, and NPD is Circana

It’s The State of Gaming Podcast, Popzara’s in-depth look at what’s shaking up the gaming landscape delivered on a monthly basis. Our hosts Cory Galliher and Nate Evans guide you through the best, worst, and everything else making headlines and headway in the world of interactive entertainment.

The Biggest Games of March 2023

The biggest games of the month include: Resident Evil 4 Remake, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, The Last of Us Part 1 (PC), Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure, Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

Other notables include: Sifu (Xbox), Remnant: From the Ashes (Switch), Have a Nice Death, Tchia, and Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania.

Circana (Formerly NPD): February 2023

New name, same Mat Piscatella! NPD is now Circana – and remains the gaming industry’s best snapshot of what’s moving and shaking up both physical and digital retail shelves across the country. All estimates are for entertainment purposes only. Total sales of new gaming hardware and software topped $4.6 billion, a 6 percent increase over last year.

On the software charts Warner Bros’ Hogwarts Legacy unseats Activison’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remake for the top spot, while EA’s Dead Space remake stays cozy in third. Sony’s The Last of Us: Part 1 returns in sixth, EA’s Wild Hearts debuts high in eighth, Sega’s Like a Dragon: Ishin! enters the list at ninth, while Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler II sneaks in at tenth.

Elsewhere on the list Nintendo’s Kirby’s Return to Dream Land debuts at fifteenth, Sega’s Company of Heroes 3 lands in sixteenth, Sony’s The Last of Us: Part II returns in eighteenth, and Square Enix’s Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line rounds out the list in twentieth.

Everything Else

But there’s more! E3, formerly the biggest gaming event in the world, has been canceled yet again. Maybe this time for keeps? Sony’s The Last of Us renaissance continues with the release of The Last of Us: Part I on PC…but was it worth the wait? Warner Bros’ Smash Bros. ripoff homage MultiVersus is set to be shut down this summer – but will it return? Word on the street Sony’s PSVR2 isn’t selling that hot – but Cory still loved it anyway!

Will 2023 be the year that game movies finally take off? Apple TV’s Tetris and Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game provide some biographical references for game/movie fans everywhere – all from the comfort of home. Check out our interview with the Pinball directors when you’re done listening to this!