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2021 has already overtaken 2020 with more female-led games

Published

5 years ago

January 25, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

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.

Source

eSports

PUBG MOBILE confirms 31 teams for Esports Nations Cup 2026 in Riyadh

Published

12 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Wladimir P.

pubg-mobile-confirms-31-teams-for-esports-nations-cup-2026-in-riyadh

124 countries and territories registered for selection; the 32nd “Solidarity” Wildcard slot is still to be confirmed.

PUBG MOBILE has confirmed 31 of the 32 national teams for PUBG MOBILE at the Esports Nations Cup 2026, scheduled for November 3-8 in Riyadh. The publisher said 124 countries and territories registered and submitted official rosters for the selection process. The event will play for a $1.32 million USD prize pool.

The confirmed lineup includes 14 teams advancing from nine regional qualifiers: Indonesia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Jordan, KSA, France, Italy, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Mauritania and Madagascar.

A further 12 teams are invited via ENC Rankings: Türkiye, Mongolia, Brazil, Pakistan, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, South Africa, United States, Ukraine and Argentina. Four Special Invite teams—China, South Korea, India and Japan—also join the Group Stage.

Two Wildcard slots are listed: Kuwait as the Host Region representative, and one “TBD (Solidarity)” team still to be confirmed. From November 3, teams will be split into four groups of eight for a round-robin Group Stage, with the top four from each group advancing to the Grand Finals.

The Esports Nations Cup was announced in August 2025 as a multi-title national-team competition, with future international iterations planned, according to the company. PUBG MOBILE also claimed it is the “#1 game title at the Esports Nations Cup in terms of participating countries and territories,” citing the 124 registered countries and territories for its selection process.

The post PUBG MOBILE confirms 31 teams for Esports Nations Cup 2026 in Riyadh appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Canada

Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize

Published

20 hours ago

July 21, 2026

Wladimir P.

tonybet-player-in-canada-claims-$20,000-cad-golden-world-cup-card-prize

Tonybet says a player in Laurier-Station, Canada has claimed the “golden card” prize worth $20,000 CAD in the operator’s World Cup Card Collection. The announcement was made Tuesday 21st July 2026.

The World Cup collection featured 51 cards in total, including 48 digital cards representing participating World Cup nations, plus three unique prize cards in bronze, silver and gold. Tonybet said the bronze card—available during the group stage—was previously found by a customer in Saint-Colomban, Canada, while the silver card—available during the knockout rounds up to the quarter-finals—was won by a player in County Kildare, Ireland.

The golden card became available for the semi-final, third-place play-off and final, and has now been claimed, Tonybet said.

Tonybet Head of Product Kiryl Liudvikevich said: “You can plan a campaign down to the last detail, but you can’t plan what the World Cup brings.

“We designed the collection to evolve with the tournament, and every knockout round created new stories we couldn’t have predicted. Seeing players complete their collections and discovering who would uncover each prize was the most rewarding part of the campaign.

“I hope everyone enjoyed the experience for what it was meant to be: a fun addition to the tournament, played responsibly and always within their limits.”

Tonybet said the collection will remain open until 31 July for players who are still completing sets and spending coins, although all grand prizes have been awarded.

The post Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Canada

Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize

Published

20 hours ago

July 21, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

The golden card became available for the semi-final, third-place play-off and final, and has now been claimed, Tonybet said.

Tonybet Head of Product Kiryl Liudvikevich said: “You can plan a campaign down to the last detail, but you can’t plan what the World Cup brings.

“I hope everyone enjoyed the experience for what it was meant to be: a fun addition to the tournament, played responsibly and always within their limits.”

Tonybet said the collection will remain open until 31 July for players who are still completing sets and spending coins, although all grand prizes have been awarded.

The post Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.