Sudden Bursts Of Popularity Is Almost Always Fatal To Games

Most of the time, certain expectations and player bases are built around game franchises. It is no surprise when a good-quality title with a strong player base succeeds, while those filled with bugs, predatory microtransactions, and other issues end up flopping. Then, there are the outliers that emerge once in a while and take the whole industry by storm. These unpredictable games abruptly become extremely popular out of the blue.

It happens quite rarely, but we have started seeing more and more obscure games abruptly rising to fame in recent times. Anyway, these titles eventually reach a wide audience despite being as hidden as a needle in a haystack. You can credit that to gaming influencers and streamers who bring swaths of their community into these small projects.

However, all that is a good thing, right? It’s just that most games that quickly rise through the Steam charts are unable to maintain such success for long; the following downfall oftentimes proves to be much worse. Let’s explore why that happens.

The Sudden Ascent To Stardom Often Catches Devs Off Guard

In the case of Among Us, it unexpectedly became too famous for its own good. It caused the social-deduction game to experience a high like no other, only to plummet back down at the same rate after a while. It’s best that devs consider these bursts of renown as mere phases rather than permanent sensations to stand any chance of preserving the newfound stardom.

When these games become the talk of the whole gaming industry, it becomes paramount for studios to keep up with the growing influx of players. This is certainly not possible for a humble team made up of a small number. So, after relishing success, devs can eventually begin to hire talent and grow their teams to deal with the concerns of keeping the project up to par with everyone’s expectations.

This organic growth can only work to a certain extent. Even if a huge team prepares for it, actually keeping the game updated and fresh with new streams of content can prove to be quite a challenge. 

These “Streaming Games” Eventually Fall Out Of Trends

The way devs go about handling content, marketing, and the preservation of the new community also matters a lot. Despite all that, most obscure games that experience sudden growth still often end up failing for many reasons. Now, it is not exactly the fault of devs. They could try everything in their power and still lose popularity because the game content loop can become quite monotonous over time.

What is the reason some games become extremely popular really fast, but very quickly they lose their popularity at a rapid rate?
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Additionally, most titles that become the grist for the gossip mill stay popular among the streamers’ community. These ones are mostly dubbed “streaming games,” which are projects that are fun to watch others play and grind and have become the prevalent choice of most streamers.

The latest example, Palworld, is an extremely enjoyable open-world venture that combines survival with the monster-collection genre. However, even such an innovative entry eventually became too boring for a large number of players. Now, players often flood back into the single-player experience once in a while after every major update.

Devs’ Inability To Keep Up With Expectations Propels The Downfall

Even after taking all the right steps, most studios are just unable to keep up with the growing expectations. Player fatigue is something that devs of a small but popular project can’t just control. Now throw in a lack of innovation, redundant gameplay additions, and saturation in the market, and you’ve got the beginning of the end for games that abruptly make it big in the industry.  

Eventually, titles like Agar.io, Fall Guys, and the sort succumb to being taken over by clones in the same genre. Among Us is no different; there have been dozens of copies on mobile and PC alone, with one title—Duck Duck Goose—even surpassing the OG in many ways altogether. Palworld could also be headed down that dangerous path, with many similar projects beginning to take shape in the industry.

Maintaining lasting relevance in the gaming industry is no easy feat for the little giants. However, some have fared much better than others in this regard.

It’s Always A Double-Edged Sword

Going viral for a game in the industry is always a risky endeavor. The best way to thrive as an underdog in the industry is to adopt a player-friendly approach, reveal a convincing roadmap, and stay in communication with the fans.

I think Helldivers 2 has captured the flame of virality in the best way possible. They applied almost all the aforesaid strategies and developed a convincing fandom that has stuck around so far. Only recently has the player count started to drop, and that was to be expected; popularity never lasts forever.