Between 2024 and 2025, gamers spent $1.4 billion on remakes and remasters. Remakes generated higher revenue and engagement. These are the findings of new research by Ampere Analysis.
According to recent research by Ampere Analysis, 72.4 million players have been attracted to video game remakes and remasters released across 2024 and 2025 on Xbox, PlayStation and Steam. These players have collectively spent over $1.4 billion (~€1.22 billion) on premium full games and in-game monetisation. Notably, the average global spending on a video game remake is more than twice that on a remaster. Of the 42 titles examined, an average remake generated 2.2 times more consumer spending than an average remaster, highlighting the commercial opportunity of reinventing older intellectual property. However, it should be noted that the number of titles considered was quite small. The data included 15 remakes and 27 remasters that were released between January 2024 and September 2025. Ampere activity data covers Xbox, PlayStation and Steam. Active users have not been deduplicated, so the same user may be counted multiple times if they are playing several games.
The biggest outlier in this report is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which has achieved significantly more than all the other remasters and remakes. However, Oblivion is an exception in this respect because it is more of a mixture of remaster and remake; a great many adjustments and improvements had already been made for the remaster. Ampere Analysis: "Ampere's analysis shows that while remakes can rejuvenate classic titles and attract new audiences, they require substantially higher investment in development, marketing, and time. Remasters, by contrast, offer faster turnaround and lower cost - but generally deliver less engagement. However, select IPs can attract extraordinary Engagement regardless of the development approach. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered reached a peak of $180 million in consumer spending, and 7 million monthly active users across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam when it launched in April 2025."
Katie Holt, Senior Analyst at Ampere Analysis, says: "As games and IP development costs escalate, publishers are increasingly raiding their back catalogues for cost-effective remakes and remasters. 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."
The analysts conclude: Remasters are significantly cheaper and quicker to develop than remakes. Original titles should be updated to meet the capabilities of modern hardware and gamer expectations.
