Gaming
The world’s favourite gaming franchises – Animal Crossing is officially UK’s #1
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.
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Berkley Egenes
Xsolla Brings Creator Strategy and Game Commerce Expertise to Toronto’s Leading Industry Events
Xsolla, a global video game commerce company, is participating in two leading co-located industry events, XP Game Summit Toronto and Xsolla Connect Toronto, on May 21-22, in Toronto. Xsolla will engage with partners, creators, and industry leaders across both events, focusing on the evolving gaming ecosystem.
At XP Game Summit Toronto, Xsolla will showcase its Web Shop solution, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform that helps developers build and scale their own storefronts outside traditional app stores. The Web Shop ecosystem integrates storefronts, LiveOps tools, and player engagement features, enabling studios to strengthen player relationships while increasing revenue and operational control.
Xsolla will also highlight its global payments infrastructure, which supports more than 1000+ payment methods across 200+ geographies. Designed to optimize conversion and deliver localized checkout experiences, Xsolla Payments enables developers to reach players worldwide while adapting to regional preferences and regulatory environments.
Additionally, Xsolla will showcase how they are connecting developers with premium entertainment-based intellectual property (IP). By simplifying licensing and partnership opportunities, Xsolla Agency helps studios enhance player acquisition, drive engagement through LiveOps, and unlock new monetization pathways.
In addition to showcasing its product offerings and solutions, Xsolla will also present a featured panel session titled “Building the Creator Pipeline: How Smart Partnerships Are Scaling Influencer Marketing”. The panel will include John Nguyen, Regional Vice President, Canada, at Xsolla; Scott Christian, Studio Director & Founder of Hilltop Games; Gem Johnson, CEO at Corvian Marketing; and Corina (Newby) Diaz, Marketing and Social Media Director at Mighty Yell. They will share practical insights on building sustainable creator ecosystems, leveraging strategic partnerships, and driving measurable impact through influencer marketing initiatives.
In addition to the company’s participation in XP Game Summit Toronto, Xsolla will host Xsolla Connect Toronto, further expanding opportunities for meaningful engagement between developers and publishers through curated programming and networking experiences. Xsolla Connects are designed to give local communities the opportunity to engage, collaborate, and integrate with Xsolla’s industry leaders in an open and transparent environment and through conversations.
“Toronto continues to emerge as a key hub for gaming innovation and collaboration in North America. We’re excited to participate in XP Game Summit and host the Xsolla Connect to connect with the community while sharing insights on how creators and partnerships are helping to build the future of game growth,” said Berkley Egenes, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Xsolla.
“Toronto has built itself into a major Canadian video game hub. We are glad to contribute to the continued growth of the local industry as well as Ontario’s Game Industry as a whole. What makes it special is the combination of deep technical talent, global creative diversity, and a production ecosystem that truly scales. That’s why gatherings like XP Game Summit and Xsolla Connect matter so much: they bring that energy together, and we’re excited to be part of it and help showcase what this community can do,” said John Nguyen, Regional Vice President, Canada at Xsolla.
The post Xsolla Brings Creator Strategy and Game Commerce Expertise to Toronto’s Leading Industry Events appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
casino
Stake Upgrades Flagship Crash Game With Sharper Visuals and Smoother Gameplay
A worldwide refresh of one of the most-played titles in the Stake Originals collection introduces a new graph crack animation, dynamic multiplier gradients, a live player count and faster, more reliable performance across devices.
Stake, the world’s largest online casino and sportsbook, has today announced a major worldwide update to its flagship Crash casino game, marking the next significant milestone in the evolution of the Stake Originals portfolio. The update delivers a refreshed visual experience and a series of performance upgrades for players.
Crash has built a global following thanks to a simple but high-intensity format – players track a rising multiplier and decide when to cash out before it suddenly drops. As one of the most recognisable titles in the Stake Originals portfolio, it sits at the heart of the platform’s in-house gaming identity, and this latest release sharpens both the look and the feel of every round.
The update introduces a refreshed look with a new graph crack animation that gives every round a more defined visual moment as the multiplier ends. The multiplier curve has been upgraded with dynamic colour gradients that evolve in real time – shifting from blue in the early stages, through green and purple, and into yellow as higher values are reached. A new player count display also shows how many participants are still active in each round, adding a stronger sense of shared, real-time gameplay.
Cashout responsiveness has been improved for faster, more consistent interactions during key multiplier moments allowing for a smoother performance. The update also enables uninterrupted gameplay during deployments, meaning Crash continues running smoothly while improvements are being rolled out in the background. Game payload optimisation and enhanced gameplay processing systems further reduce loading times and improve stability, particularly during high-activity periods, for a more reliable experience across all devices.
“Crash is one of those games that defines what a Stake Original feels like – quick, social, and full of tension in the best way. This update is about giving players a sharper, more responsive version of a game they already love, without ever losing what made it so appealing in the first place.” – Stake’s Chief Marketing Officer, Akhil Sarin.
Crash is one of Stake Casino‘s most-played games, and the goal of this update is simple: keep what players love about it, and make everything around it feel sharper.
About Stake
Stake is the world’s largest online casino and sportsbook, attracting over 100 million monthly visits across its global domains – more than any other iGaming platform on earth. Founded in 2017, Stake attracts over 80 million monthly visits and processes more than 100 billion bets per year. Stake is renowned for its innovation in crypto wagering and its growing expansion into regulated local-currency gaming markets, including Italy, Denmark, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The brand boasts an extensive global sponsorship portfolio including Drake, X Games, Everton Football Club, and the UFC.
Contact
Stake
The post Stake Upgrades Flagship Crash Game With Sharper Visuals and Smoother Gameplay appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
casino
Stake Upgrades Flagship Crash Game With Sharper Visuals and Smoother Gameplay
A worldwide refresh of one of the most-played titles in the Stake Originals collection introduces a new graph crack animation, dynamic multiplier gradients, a live player count and faster, more reliable performance across devices.
Stake, the world’s largest online casino and sportsbook, has today announced a major worldwide update to its flagship Crash casino game, marking the next significant milestone in the evolution of the Stake Originals portfolio. The update delivers a refreshed visual experience and a series of performance upgrades for players.
Crash has built a global following thanks to a simple but high-intensity format – players track a rising multiplier and decide when to cash out before it suddenly drops. As one of the most recognisable titles in the Stake Originals portfolio, it sits at the heart of the platform’s in-house gaming identity, and this latest release sharpens both the look and the feel of every round.
The update introduces a refreshed look with a new graph crack animation that gives every round a more defined visual moment as the multiplier ends. The multiplier curve has been upgraded with dynamic colour gradients that evolve in real time – shifting from blue in the early stages, through green and purple, and into yellow as higher values are reached. A new player count display also shows how many participants are still active in each round, adding a stronger sense of shared, real-time gameplay.
Cashout responsiveness has been improved for faster, more consistent interactions during key multiplier moments allowing for a smoother performance. The update also enables uninterrupted gameplay during deployments, meaning Crash continues running smoothly while improvements are being rolled out in the background. Game payload optimisation and enhanced gameplay processing systems further reduce loading times and improve stability, particularly during high-activity periods, for a more reliable experience across all devices.
“Crash is one of those games that defines what a Stake Original feels like – quick, social, and full of tension in the best way. This update is about giving players a sharper, more responsive version of a game they already love, without ever losing what made it so appealing in the first place.” – Stake’s Chief Marketing Officer, Akhil Sarin.
Crash is one of Stake Casino‘s most-played games, and the goal of this update is simple: keep what players love about it, and make everything around it feel sharper.
About Stake
Stake is the world’s largest online casino and sportsbook, attracting over 100 million monthly visits across its global domains – more than any other iGaming platform on earth. Founded in 2017, Stake attracts over 80 million monthly visits and processes more than 100 billion bets per year. Stake is renowned for its innovation in crypto wagering and its growing expansion into regulated local-currency gaming markets, including Italy, Denmark, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. The brand boasts an extensive global sponsorship portfolio including Drake, X Games, Everton Football Club, and the UFC.
Contact
Stake
The post Stake Upgrades Flagship Crash Game With Sharper Visuals and Smoother Gameplay appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
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