The local gaming scene is buzzing over the arrival of a rare AAA-tier FPS: Battlefield 6, which kicked off its open beta last weekend. As a series that once stood toe-to-toe with Call of Duty, the hype has been astronomical, especially with Vince Zampella—the legendary architect behind Call of Duty—now steering the ship. Unsurprisingly, the test period drew global attention, and the local market was certainly no exception.

Battlefield 6 makes its debut this week at number 41. It is a solid achievement, considering the open beta status means PC bang usage stats are not yet fully captured. Between high search volumes and a spike in live-streaming viewership, it is clear that many players headed to local PC bangs to bypass hardware hurdles. Given how many were glued to Twitch broadcasts just to secure those elusive early access keys—even with the service now shuttered locally—I suspect the actual engagement levels are even higher.

Back in the mid-2010s, when Battlefield and Call of Duty were locked in a fierce rivalry, our local FPS market was essentially a closed shop, dominated by stalwarts like Sudden Attack and Special Force. The tide has turned, though; local gamers are now far more receptive to global AAA releases. While previous entries in the Battlefield series were classic 'package' affairs—flaring up in the rankings for a week or two before vanishing into the ether—Battlefield 6 seems built to sustain a long-term life as a live-service game.

The challenge now for Battlefield 6 is maintaining this momentum beyond the testing phase. Fortunately, the early build avoided the sort of catastrophic optimization issues that usually kill a game's launch hype, and I expect the griping about map size to quiet down once the final version lands. Can Battlefield 6 break the cycle of its predecessors and secure a permanent spot among heavyweights like Valorant, PUBG, and Overwatch 2? The local community is watching closely.

Since exiting early access and launching officially on July 24, Supervive has been on a three-week winning streak, now hovering right at the edge of the top tier. It sits at 16th this week, a sharp 14-place jump. It has managed to leapfrog staples like World of Warcraft and Diablo 2, now breathing down the neck of Aion. It is only three spots behind its direct rival, Eternal Return, and that is only because Eternal Return saw a minor bump itself this week.

To be fair, Supervive didn't exactly set the world on fire during its early access phase. It is notoriously difficult for a game to bounce back after a lukewarm start, which makes this current surge all the more impressive. The rise in PC bang market share is particularly telling—it shows that friends are physically gathering to play together. The power of word-of-mouth is real, and I am curious to see how far this trajectory can actually go.

In the lower rankings, Netmarble's new title, Vampir, is slowly creeping up. After hosting a showcase last week that spilled plenty of details, the game's unique concept—something we rarely see in domestic titles—has sparked real interest. The character name reservation event on the 12th sold out in just 50 minutes, suggesting the hype train is well underway ahead of the August 26 official launch.

Meanwhile, the outlook for NCSoft remains gloomy, with most titles trending downward. Even Aion 2, following its information broadcast on the 8th, only managed a measly one-place rise. The sentiment among gamers is split: some remain resolutely skeptical, while others suggest that if the developers combine the new action mechanics with the 'un-NC-like' monetization seen in TL, they might just dig themselves out of this rut. To get that vital launch-day boost, the director needs to pivot toward more transparent communication and get the public back on side.