Gaming

The world’s favourite gaming franchises – Animal Crossing is officially UK’s #1

Published

5 years ago

May 10, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

New research from Casino.org has taken a deep dive into total sales, critic ratings, search volume and Twitch views to discover the world’s – and every country’s – most-loved gaming franchise.

Animal Crossing is officially revealed as the UK’s favourite gaming franchise.

Rank	Franchise	Average franchise critic score	Total sales of base games	Annual Worldwide Franchise Google Search Data	Franchise Lifetime Peak Viewers on Twitch	Most Loved Franchise Score /10
1	Super Mario	88.2%	299,475,000	39,936,900	2,926,742	8.15
2	Call of Duty	84.5%	301,460,000	88,361,000	1,623,046	8.09
3	Grand Theft Auto	90.1%	193,500,000	31,787,020	1,020,005	5.84
4	The Legend of Zelda	89.2%	93,100,000	18,513,800	2,431,115	5.73
5	Assassin’s Creed	80.8%	93,000,000	89,036,300	721,736	5.50
6	Mario Kart	87.0%	177,860,000	13,322,600	1,361,952	5.24
7	Pokémon	85.8%	187,760,000	15,220,200	1,257,588	5.18
8	The Last of Us	94.0%	24,000,000	55,619,000	631,357	5.17
9	Animal Crossing	84.8%	62,550,000	78,359,700	284,906	5.00
10	Sonic the Hedgehog	76.5%	61,420,000	41,571,900	1,907,064	4.60

After being around for 35 years, Super Mario is ranked the world’s most loved franchise with nearly 3 million Twitch views and 300 million sales!
Starting in 2003, Call of Duty has seen the highest total sales of all the franchises- over 301.46 million games sold, however it just falls behind in Twitch views and average critic score earning it second place in the world’s most loved games.

Taking the third spot is Grand Theft Auto with one of the highest critic scores but much lower sales than the top two franchises.

Animal Crossing is the most searched franchise in the UK

While Call Of Duty has been searched for by the most number of countries (29), Animal Crossing emerges as the favourite for 24 countries – including the UK, US and Australia.

Most Searched Franchise	Number of Countries
Call of Duty	29
Animal Crossing	24
The Witcher	8
The Last of Us	6
Super Mario	3
Sonic the Hedgehog	3
Assassin’s Creed	1
Diablo	1

You can see the results of the research by clicking here.

Methodology:

Video game franchises were taken from the list of best-selling video game franchises from Wikipedia with spin-offs and remakes excluded.
The critical reception score for each game was sourced from Metacritic, with the exception of some older games which were released prior to Metacritic’s existence, which reflect scores from now-defunct GameRankings (which has since been incorporated into Metacritic).
For the total sales of the base games of each franchise, sales data was taken from the list of best selling game franchises on the Video Game Sales Wiki page.
Google Keyword planner found the number of global searches for each base game from March 2020 to February 2021.
Franchise lifetime peak viewers on Twitch was sourced from each games’ category page on TwitchTracker.
To discover each country’s favorite franchise, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer tool was used to collect the monthly average search volume for the last twelve months for the 75 countries where data was available.

Gaming

Soft2Bet Introduces MEGA11, a Football Manager Experience Designed to Elevate Sportsbook Activity

Published

4 hours ago

February 20, 2026

Wladimir P.

soft2bet-introduces-mega11,-a-football-manager-experience-designed-to-elevate-sportsbook-activity

Soft2Bet has revealed the debut of MEGA11, a football management game aimed at enhancing sportsbook interaction and improving player loyalty. Acknowledging that football manager and fantasy games rank among the most favored genres with the longest typical gameplay durations, MEGA11 provides a progression-oriented and captivating football manager experience focusing on fantasy league team construction, allowing players to tactically oversee their own teams and make important choices while competing in leagues and matches.

Users of sportsbooks are inherently used to waiting before making their next wager. That inactivity naturally leads to a decrease in daily engagement, even among bettors who are very focused on football. MEGA11 addresses this issue by providing users with a football management game seamlessly connected to the sportsbook experience. Rather than waiting for the upcoming kickoff, players can remain engaged by forming their team, modifying lineups, and battling in their personal matchups or leagues. This establishes a distinctive two-way interaction cycle, effortlessly integrating real-money wagering with social, engaging gameplay, transforming these calmer times into organized activity with defined objectives, advancement, and a motivation to come back.

MEGA11 is developed as an independent game featuring its own soft-currency system, without any direct links to sportsbook deposits or casino operations. The main experience is free-to-play, enabling players to advance at their own speed. For players seeking to advance quickly or enhance their team, MEGA11 provides optional purchases, such as more powerful player cards and boosters that speed up progress and offer a strategic advantage.

The engagement of the sportsbook is fueled by a straightforward, quantifiable mechanism. Each wager allows players to accumulate points that enhance their advancement in the football manager game. This advancement, consequently, activates sportsbook bonuses, actively encouraging ongoing involvement and strengthening consistent engagement. Advancement is organized via a five-level loyalty and gamification framework that reflects a football career trajectory: Beginner, Amateur, Professional, World Class, and Legend. The tiering aims to maintain motivation over time, providing a consistent feeling of progress that fosters longer-term retention instead of brief spurts of engagement.

The new engine enhances Soft2Bet’s larger MEGA portfolio, which currently features mechanics like MEGA Chance, MEGA Round, and MEGA Clawee. It further enhances Soft2Bet’s sportsbook offering with instant payouts, 24/7 support, and over 200 pre-match football markets, by introducing a perpetual football format designed to maintain fan engagement beyond the live match calendar.

The design of the product continues to prioritize player protection and compliance. MEGA11’s soft-currency, non-deposit model promotes secure and compliant interactions, emphasizing entertainment and advancement while adhering to responsible gaming standards in regulated regions.

Yoel Zuckerberg, CPO at Soft2Bet, stated: “MEGA11 is built to keep football fans engaged between matchdays, pairing a manager-style progression loop with a soft-currency model that supports compliant, long-term sportsbook loyalty. Football manager games are renowned for having the highest player immersion and longest session times in the industry. By bringing this experience to our partners, we are combining real betting with social gameplay to deliver authentic player experiences that resonate with fans and drive sustainable engagement.”

The introduction of MEGA11 enhances Soft2Bet’s emphasis on product-driven engagement, merging game design, loyalty strategies, and a robust regulatory framework to assist operators in achieving more reliable retention during the football season. The technology has received significant industry awards and is eliciting a strong positive reaction from players, confirming its influence on engagement and long-term value generation.

The post Soft2Bet Introduces MEGA11, a Football Manager Experience Designed to Elevate Sportsbook Activity appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Gaming

58% of respondents like the“warmy” archetype. Rocket Match by RocketPlay became “ Valentine’s Tinder in Gaming”.

Published

3 days ago

February 17, 2026

Wladimir P.

58%-of-respondents-like-the“warmy”-archetype-rocket-match-by-rocketplay-became-“-valentine’s-tinder-in-gaming”.

This Valentine’s, RocketPlay tested a playful idea: players who seek thrills in gaming don’t necessarily want intensity in everything — including relationships. Instead of asking users to pick a “perfect partner,” RocketPlay launched Rocket Match, a fast, flirty quiz that matches players with a vibe: Bold, Sunny, Dreamy, or Adventurous.

Early Results Flip the Stereotype

Around 58% of participants matched with the Sunny archetype — defined by warmth, charm, and easy-going fun. The experiment suggests that when it comes to Valentine’s, RocketPlay’s community prefers light-hearted connection over drama or high stakes.

What Rocket Match Is

Rocket Match is a Valentine’s matchmaking quiz built inside the RocketPlay Universe. Players answer five simple, no-wrong-answer questions and instantly discover their match vibe.

The goal: move away from typical Valentine’s content that swings between overly serious romance or clichéd tropes. Rocket Match keeps it flirty, playful, and moment-focused, letting players discover a vibe rather than a label.

The four vibes include:

Bold – confident, high-energy, loves bigger sparks
Sunny – easy-going, playful, social, effortlessly charming
Dreamy – soft, romantic, focused on atmosphere and emotion
Adventurous – playful risk-taker, spontaneous, curious

Community Insights from Rocket Match

The quiz quickly gained traction, with 7,000+ completions, revealing a strong preference: Sunny, the archetype defined by warmth, lightness, and charm.

Alex Martin, PR Lead at RocketPlay, said:

“What we liked most about Rocket Match is how clearly it captured the mood people actually want on Valentine’s. It wasn’t about labels or big statements — it was about light energy, easy chemistry, and a feel-good kind of connection. That’s the vibe we try to build across the brand: simple to join, fun in the moment, and positive without the drama.”

Why It Matters

Rocket Match was more than a Valentine’s gimmick. It offered a snapshot of what RocketPlay’s community enjoys most: light energy, playful interaction, and feel-good connections. By turning a pop-culture moment into a small experiment, RocketPlay gained insight into player preferences, informing how the brand continues to design engaging, fun, and positive experiences.

The post 58% of respondents like the“warmy” archetype. Rocket Match by RocketPlay became “ Valentine’s Tinder in Gaming”. appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Gaming

58% of respondents like the“warmy” archetype. Rocket Match by RocketPlay became “ Valentine’s Tinder in Gaming”.

Published

3 days ago

February 17, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

This Valentine’s, RocketPlay tested a simple idea: people who come to iGaming for thrill don’t necessarily want the same intensity in everything — including relationships. Instead of asking players to choose a “perfect partner,” we launched Rocket Match, a fast, playful quiz that matches players with a vibe — bold, sweet, dreamy, or adventurous.

Early results flipped the stereotype. Around 58% of participants matched with the same vibe — built around warmth, charm, and easy fun — suggesting that when it comes to Valentine’s, our community prefers light-hearted connection over drama or risk.

What Rocket Match is

Rocket Match is a Valentine’s matchmaking quiz built as a small cosmic adventure inside the gaming RocketPlay Universe. Players answer 5 light questions — no right or wrong answers — and instantly unlock a Rocket Match that compliments themself. The idea was simple: Valentine’s content online often swings between two extremes — overly serious romance or pure cliché. Rocket Match was created to do something different: keep it flirty, keep it playful, and let players discover a vibe that feels like a moment, not a label.

There were 4 vibes to match with:
Bold — confident, high-energy, loves a bigger spark and bolder choices.
Sunny — easy-going, lighthearted, funny, good communicator
Dreamy — softer, romantic, drawn to atmosphere and emotion.
Adventurous — playful risk-taker energy; spontaneous, curious, and always up for something new.

The lightweight Valentine’s experiment quickly gained traction, with 7,000+ players completing the quiz. The unexpected value came after: the answers revealed a clear preference in what players wanted Valentine’s to feel like — and that insight became the story.

Across responses, around 58% of participants landed on the same Rocket Match vibe — the “sunny” archetype. It’s defined by warmth, lightness, and easy charm: playful, social, and effortless to be around.

What it says about RocketPlay’s community

Rocket Match offered a clear read on the kind of Valentine’s energy players gravitate toward — and it’s lighter than the usual “high-stakes romance” stereotype. As Alex Martin, PR Lead, puts it: “What we liked most about Rocket Match is how clearly it captured the mood people actually want on Valentine’s. It wasn’t about labels or big statements — it was about light energy, easy chemistry, and a feel-good kind of connection. That’s the vibe we try to build across the brand: simple to join, fun in the moment, and positive without the drama.”

What started as a fun Valentine’s experiment quickly became a snapshot of what the community enjoys most: light energy, easy chemistry, and feel-good connection. Valentine’s was simply the right moment to test a playful, pop-culture format — and see what kind of “match” people gravitate toward.

The post 58% of respondents like the“warmy” archetype. Rocket Match by RocketPlay became “ Valentine’s Tinder in Gaming”. appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.