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2021 has already overtaken 2020 with more female-led games
While women make up nearly half of all gamers, a continued study by Buzz Bingo has revealed that only 12% of next-generation video games exclusively feature a female protagonist, with 2020 being the worst year yet for female representation.
As part of this continued study, Buzz Bingo analysed every game released on PlayStation and Xbox since 2016 to see how female representation in the gaming industry has developed, as well as how this representation is unfolding in 2021.
1. PlayStation Games Year-on-Year
- Our research showed us that 2020 was the lowest year in terms of the number of female-led games released on PlayStation consoles, with only 14 games (8.6%) released that year featuring a female protagonist.
- 2021 is already looking more promising in terms of the number of games set to be released featuring a female lead, with 23 games (18.4%) with a female protagonist having been announced so far.
| Year | Female | Male | Mixed | Ambiguous/NA/TBC | Total |
| 2016 | 27 | 120 | 97 | 62 | 306 |
| 2017 | 49 | 85 | 115 | 61 | 310 |
| 2018 | 27 | 90 | 98 | 42 | 257 |
| 2019 | 22 | 87 | 91 | 24 | 224 |
| 2020 | 14 | 53 | 67 | 29 | 163 |
| 2021 | 23 | 50 | 30 | 22 | 125 |
2. Xbox Games Year-on-Year
- In three out of the six years we analysed, only 9 of the games that were released for Xbox consoles featured a female lead.
- So far, 2021 already ranks second for the highest number of female protagonist led games for Xbox, with 14 games (12.8%) featuring a female lead having been announced or released.
| Year | Female | Male | Multiple Options | Ambiguous/NA/TBC | Total |
| 2016 | 16 | 83 | 54 | 34 | 187 |
| 2017 | 9 | 49 | 65 | 21 | 144 |
| 2018 | 10 | 46 | 56 | 29 | 141 |
| 2019 | 9 | 49 | 74 | 16 | 148 |
| 2020 | 9 | 27 | 49 | 22 | 107 |
| 2021 | 14 | 43 | 30 | 22 | 109 |
3. The New Generation: Xbox Series X/S and PS5
- Research from Buzz Bingo has revealed that only 51 games (12%) out of the 414 confirmed PS5 and Xbox Series X/S exclusively feature a female protagonist compared to 139 (34%) games with a male-only lead.
- 33% of all games had both male and female protagonists or allowed the user to customise the gender.
| Gender of Lead(s) | Xbox Series X/S | PlayStation 5 | Xbox % | PS5 % | Total % |
| Female | 21 | 30 | 11% | 13% | 12% |
| Male | 58 | 81 | 31% | 35% | 34% |
| Multiple Options | 68 | 68 | 37% | 30% | 33% |
| Ambiguous/NA/TBC | 38 | 50 | 21% | 22% | 21% |
Methodology
- We analysed every game released on PlayStation and Xbox since 2016, and then manually checked each game to find out whether the playable character was male, female, ambiguous or had mixed options.
- We then broke this down to find out the best and worst years for female representation in video games.
- To determine gender, we researched wiki pages for the individual games and searched for the corresponding pronouns when necessary.
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eSports
Esports Nations Cup 2026 Announces Official VALORANT Rosters
The Esports Foundation (EF) confirmed the official roster submissions and direct invite recipients for the VALORANT tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), the global nation-based esports competition set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from November 2-29, 2026.
111 rosters representing 111 countries and territories have been officially submitted and confirmed for the VALORANT tournament. 32 of those rosters will compete at the ENC Finals for VALORANT, with 16 countries and territories receiving direct invitations through the official ENC 2026 Rankings. The system has scored, accumulated and ranked submitted roster player performances across all official Riot Games competitions through the conclusion of Masters London. Those invited countries and territories, and their submitted rosters, are:
• UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – trent, valyn, leaf, zekken, skuba, Ethan and Cryocells
• REPUBLIC OF KOREA – iZu, BuZz, Francis, Munchkin, Ivy and Dambi
• PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA – ZmjKK, CHICHOO, nobody, Knight, slowly, K1Ra and Lysoar
• CANADA – TenZ, mada, eeiu, Marved, JonahP, koalanoob and Zander
• TÜRKIYE – Alfajer, Ruxic, Lar0k, RieNs, xeus, Wo0t and s0pp
• BRAZIL – aspas, artzin, spikeziN, Less, Sacy, Sato and lukxo
• SINGAPORE – Deryeon, Jinggg, nephh, STYRON, wayne, Vera and JayH
• POLAND – kayak, kamo, starxo, PROFEK, westside, paTiTek and UNFAKE
• PHILIPPINES – Zeus, kellyS, xavi8k, invy, PatMen, Markyyy and Wild0reoo
• GREAT BRITAIN – Lime, Severe, benjyfishy, keiko, Ticey and YaBoiLewis
• CHINESE TAIPEI – Nicc, SpiritZ1, WsLeo, Spring, S1Mon and Yuicaw
• MALAYSIA – d4v41, theDoctorr, xan, Riza, Fixy, toggle and aplycs
• FINLAND – Jamppi, Derke, iluri, Famsii, H1ber, hoody and Snowi
• LITHUANIA – Boo, MiniBoo, Koshmaras, Kajuks, Destrian, roxie and vakk
• THAILAND – killua, Primmie, JitboyS, PTC, Apinya and Kadoom
• CHILE – kiNgg, erde, Mazino, keznit, Tunaso, Shyy and david
A clear favourite emerges near the top of the rankings: the US. G2 Esports’ highly decorated and highly dangerous trio of trent, valyn, leaf lead the way for the US, with multiple VCT Americas stage trophies to their names, and the desire to finally claim an international trophy still in their hearts. Joining them though are a handful of superstars that have won on VALORANT’s biggest stages: VALORANT’s only two-time world champion Ethan, his reigning world champion NRG teammates skuba, and former Masters Madrid winner zekken of MIBR, joined by one of the game’s most elite players in Cryocells. The best of the best from one of the game’s strongest regions are all together on one roster, and expectations are sky high.
But they only have to look north to spot an equally dangerous contender. Leading Canada is one of Ethan and skuba’s teammates, fellow world champion mada. Joining him are more VCT Americas standout players in FURIA duo eeiu and koalanoob, and Sentinels’ jonahP. And coming out of retirement to compete for Canada are two former Sentinels stars, and Masters winners, in TenZ and Marved. A match between Canada and the US at ENC would be a dream come true for VALORANT fans not just in North America, but around the world.
Brazil is bringing back former champions of their own. Sacy, the only VALORANT player to be able to claim a Masters and a Champions trophy, is back with his former teammate Aspas and less, alongside FURIA’s artzin and LEVIATAN’s spikezin. LEVIATAN’s tremendous victory at Masters London not only drastically improved Brazil’s ranking, but allowed kiNgg and Chile to just narrowly sneak into the top 16 and secure an invite.
Nongshim RedForce trio Francis, Ivy and Dambi will make up the core of the team representing South Korea, with DRX star BuZz and Gen.G star Munchkin joining them, while the People’s Republic of China roster is bolstered by an equally dangerous trio in ZmjKK, CHICHOO and nobody from EDward Gaming. Across Europe, a number of prolific duos will attempt to bring glory to their home nations, including Vitality twosome Derke and Jamppi for Finland, keiko and EWC 2025 champion Benjyfishy for Great Britain, and brothers Boo and MiniBoo for Lithuania. Teams from Singapore, Türkiye, Poland and the Philippines are also decorated with sensational talent and former trophy winners.
With Masters London concluded and invites to the top 16 teams sent out, the attention turns to the online regional qualifiers taking place June 26-28. The top two teams from the qualifiers for North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia and Southeast Asia/Oceania will qualify for ENC, alongside the sole winners of the MENA qualifier and the Sub Saharan African qualifier. The final two teams will go to Wildcard slots.
The post Esports Nations Cup 2026 Announces Official VALORANT Rosters appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Booming Games
Booming Games launches Fortune Paw slot with 2,500x top win and respins
New 3×3, five-payline release includes an all-payline 10x multiplier and a Wild-collection respins mechanic.
Booming Games has launched Fortune Paw, a new slot title featuring a 3×3 grid with five fixed paylines and a stated maximum win of 2,500x.
The game includes an all-payline multiplier mechanic. According to the supplier, landing winning symbols on all five paylines awards a 10x multiplier.
Fortune Paw also includes a respins feature tied to Wild symbols in the base game. The company said Wilds are collected and can trigger respins “at any time,” after which a symbol is selected at random and a respin series is awarded, with landed symbols held as additional respins are granted.
Craig Asling, Director of Games at Booming Games, said: “Fortune Paw combines simple mechanics with large win potential to create a fast-paced, high-stakes gameplay experience. We are particularly proud of the fantastic artwork and our titular Fortune Paw character that really brings the game to life.”
The post Booming Games launches Fortune Paw slot with 2,500x top win and respins appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Blueprint Gaming
Blueprint Gaming launches Red Hot Catch with Money Collect and stacked bonus upgrades
New 5×4, 20-payline slot adds a Wicked Wheel feature and up to five stackable Red Hot Spins enhancements.
Blueprint Gaming has released Red Hot Catch, a new Money Collect slot title featuring a Wicked Wheel bonus and a Red Hot Spins feature with up to five stackable enhancements.
Set in a “neon-lit underworld” theme, Red Hot Catch is a 5×4, 20-payline slot. Cash symbols can land across all five reels and are awarded when a collect symbol appears on reel 1 or 5, according to the supplier. Blueprint said the game has a one-in-five win hit rate and high volatility.
The Wicked Wheel feature triggers a spin of the “Devil’s Wheel” to award either an instant cash prize or the Super Bonus. Separately, Bonus Scatter symbols add to one of the chests above the reels, each with the chance to trigger Red Hot Spins.
When Red Hot Spins activates, the bonus round starts with a cash multiplier and one or more of five upgrades already active. Blueprint said the upgrade set includes multiplied cash values, boosted symbols, respins and a fully cleared reel set.
Jo Purvis, Director of Marketing, PR and Events at Blueprint Gaming
, said: “Red Hot Catch brings a new dimension to our Money Collect offering, layering a proven formula with an intuitive range of bonus upgrades that give players real variety and sustained engagement.
“With five distinct Red Hot Spins enhancements that can stack in combination, no two bonus rounds play out the same way. We’re confident the game will resonate strongly with players who have come to love frequent opportunities to collect wins, and we look forward to seeing it perform across our regulated markets worldwide.”
The post Blueprint Gaming launches Red Hot Catch with Money Collect and stacked bonus upgrades appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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