The market research institute SuperData has released new figures for video games in April 2020. The big winner: League of Legends. The game performed better than it has in years.
What are these figures? SuperData regularly compiles interesting key data for the video game industry and online games, from which they create lists of the most popular games for PC, consoles, and mobile.
The analysts’ data is typically trustworthy, even if it does not contain concrete numbers. SuperData does not disclose its sources but states that the data comes from partnerships with publishers and developers. It serves as a source for many gaming magazines worldwide and is considered a reliable benchmark for the success of games.
It has been a great time for League of Legends: According to SuperData, League of Legends has had a stronger month in April 2020 than it has since February 2017. The experts write:
The revenues for League of Legends are at their highest since February 2017. Player numbers are also at an all-time high.
League of Legends managed to earn more money in April 2020 than in any individual month over the past three years and attracted more players than ever before. It is in 1st place among the highest-grossing PC games, followed by Dungeon Fighter Online and Crossfire. All three were already among the most successful PC games in 2019 and among the most successful video game franchises in the world.
Where does the boom come from? There is no official explanation, but it seems likely that the ongoing coronavirus crisis is responsible. League of Legends is a well-known name, it is free-to-play, and many people need to stay at home.
These are ideal conditions for creating a bit of distraction in quarantine or self-isolation and gaming. As early as February, LoL received a boost in new players in China due to Corona.
Another reason could be esports spectacles like the LEC and LCS starting in June. The LEC and LCS Spring 2020 ended in April, and such tournaments always create media buzz through Twitch. The main channels of the LEC alone had over 300,000 viewers at peak times (via sullygnome).
Watching could inspire many fans to play themselves. Already in April 2019, LoL was ranked 1st among the highest-grossing PC games, which speaks to the influence of e-sports at that time.
The most successful games – Strong newcomers, surprising classics
Among the other games, several new releases have played their way to the top and into strong positions. The console games are led by the new life simulation Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which was released on March 20. The colleagues at GamePro rated New Horizons with an impressive 90/100 points.
Also included is the new shooter Doom Eternal, which was the first major shooter released in 2020. It shares the March 20 release date with Animal Crossing. Doom Eternal received strong reviews on Metacritic shortly after release.
Curiously, a remake of an old classic has managed to sneak into the top rankings. The remaster of the Modern Warfare 2 campaign is in 8th place for console games in April 2020. As a PC & Xbox version is now also available, we may see this game again in the May list.
The mobile list is led by the shooter Peacekeeper Elite, the Chinese version of PUBG Mobile from the mobile giant Tencent. The latter still makes it to 8th place in the mobile charts in the West.
Are you surprised by these figures? Which games did you expect, which less? Let us know in the comments!
