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Fan Index Reveals: The MOST Popular Gaming Character of ALL TIME
The most popular gaming character is Mario, receiving a whopping 451 points from the fan index
In second place is Sonic the Hedgehog with 394 points, receiving a staggering 59,700,700 Google searches in the last year
Legend of Zelda’s Link lands third place with 377 points, holding the largest number of Reddit mentions
The least popular gaming character is Jack from BioShock with just 48 points!
We’ve spent a lot of time at home, getting to know our favourite video games more than ever before, falling even more in love with a whole range of gaming characters. However, there is plenty of debate about which characters are the nations’ favourite!
With this in mind, experts at Stashbird.com wanted to discover the most popular gaming characters of all time from the best-selling video game franchises*. To thoroughly investigate, Stashbird.com created a gaming fans’ index by analysing the following factors:
Sales of the franchise
Average worldwide searches over the past year
Number of hashtags on Instagram
Number of Reddit mentions
Gamers’ popularity score (survey)
The top 10 most popular characters
Stashbird.com can reveal that in first place, and crowned the most popular gaming character, is Mario with a massive 451 fan index points!
Mario ranked first for franchise sales with a staggering 653,000,000 worldwide copies of Mario games sold, bagging him an easy 100 points. The fun-loving character also ranked sixth for average worldwide searches with 4,606,547 (86 points) in the past year alone! Despite these results, Mario only ranked 10th for popularity, with 45% of gamers choosing him as their ultimate favourite.
Not far behind in second place is Sonic the Hedgehog with 394 points. The extraterrestrial hedgehog ranked second for worldwide searches (59,700,000), giving him 97 points! He was voted the favourite by only 21% of gamers surveyed, however bagged himself 91 points for his 94,300 Reddit mentions.
Link from The Legend of Zelda places third, accumulating 377 points! It is no surprise as the star of the Nintendo series to have ranked top for Reddit mentions (3,920,000) and popularity score (74%), receiving 100 points for both! Interestingly, he ranked lower down for search volumes, with 1,196,200 average searches over the past year.
At number four is Donkey Kong with 354 points, scoring high with 3,930,000 yearly average searches (83 points), 570,000 Instagram hashtags (77 points) and 26,400 Reddit mentions (80 points).
To complete the 10 most popular gaming characters, the results are as follows:
5. Master Chief (Halo) 323 points, Crash (Crash Bandicoot) 323 points, Sora (Kingdom Hearts) 323 points
6. Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy) 314 points
7. Pac-Man (Pac-Man) 308 points
8. Kirby (Kirby) 306 points
9. Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher) 294 points
Closing the top 10 is Ezio Auditore Da Firenze, star of four of the Assassin’s Creed games, with 291 points!
Just making the bottom 10 is Joel Miller, ranking 25th out of a possible 34 places, from the Last of Us. This is not surprising as the franchise only scored 14 points for its 24 million sales. He also scored low on Reddit searches, receiving just 29 points for his 1,670 mentions.
John Marston from Red Dead Redemption and Simon Belmont from Castlevania were both among the least popular with 94 and 74 points, respectively.
Bioshock’s Jack rounds off the bottom 10 list with measly 48 points – a staggering 403 points less than first place contender Mario.
Methodology
1. *Stashbird.com analysed the list of best-selling video game franchises that have sold at least 20 million copies and pulled the most popular/recognised character from each to compile the list of 36 most popular gaming characters of all time.
2. The team then created an index looking at several factors, including sales of the franchise, search volumes using SemRush, the number of Instagram hashtags per character and the number of mentions on Reddit.
3. Finally, to complete the index Stashbird.com surveyed 4,567 gamers worldwide to ask them to vote for their favourite from the list to give each character a popularity score.
4. Games where there is no playable main character were excluded from the list.
5. Stashbird normalised the data by using the PERCENTRANK.INC function in Excel. This function returns the rank of a value in a data set as a percentage of the data set between 0 and 1. These values were then multiplied by 100 to make the range between 0 and 100. The maximum score a character could receive was 500.This enabled the team to rank the 36 characters from most to least popular based on their total points. The data was collected on 29/02/2021 and is correct as of then.
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Inferno Mayhem
PG Soft cranks up the volume with electrifying Inferno Mayhem slot
PG Soft, the acclaimed mobile game developer, has turned up the heat with Inferno Mayhem, a 5×5 video slot that fuses rock concert intensity with thrilling gameplay. The story unfolds as players step back into the spotlight after Lennox, the king of the stage, mysteriously vanished mid-performance, leaving fans craving a show-stopping experience.
Gameplay and Features
Inferno Mayhem combines collapsing reels, respins, and Wild symbols with multipliers up to x500, immersing players in a roaring rock show atmosphere. Every spin builds toward a mosh pit crescendo, keeping adrenaline levels high.
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Respin Feature: Wild symbols can appear on any spin, sometimes carrying multipliers from x2 to x500. When Wilds land, wins are multiplied by the combined total of all multipliers, and a free respin is awarded. Locked Wilds during respins dramatically increase winning potential.
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Free Spins Feature: Triggered by Scatters:
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3 Scatters = 10 free spins
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4 Scatters = 12 free spins
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5 Scatters = 15 free spins
Wild symbols that appear during free spins remain locked until the round ends, boosting chances of epic wins.
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Super Feature Buy: For players seeking maximum thrill, this option ensures all Wild symbols carry multipliers between x2 and x500 throughout free spins.
With a maximum win of x25,000 the bet and high session volatility, Inferno Mayhem delivers an electrifying, headbanging experience.
PG Soft commented:
“With Inferno Mayhem, we wanted to capture the adrenaline of a live rock show and bring it to the reels. From the heavy-hitting Respin Feature to the power-packed Free Spins, this hit title has been crafted to get players headbanging while the guitars shred alongside the action.”
Inferno Mayhem exemplifies PG Soft’s signature approach of combining cinematic themes, innovative mechanics, and high-stakes excitement for mobile players.
The post PG Soft cranks up the volume with electrifying Inferno Mayhem slot appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Celtic Coins
Spinomenal expands Hold & Hit 3×3 series with Celtic Coins
Leading iGaming content provider Spinomenal has launched its newest release, Celtic Coins – Hold & Hit 3×3, expanding its popular Hold & Hit 3×3 series with a charming Irish twist.
Set against a lush emerald backdrop with a golden border, the game pairs a light-hearted, Irish-inspired soundtrack with a visually engaging 3×3 reel layout. Players encounter a golden Pot of Gold Wild, substituting for all symbols except the Bonus and Bonus Collect. The Bonus symbol appears on reels one and three, while the Bonus Collect is exclusive to reel two.
Landing a Bonus Collect alongside one or more Bonus symbols triggers the Bonus Game, where the triggering symbols remain locked in place. Players fill empty spots and can earn multipliers ranging from x1 to x15 of the total bet. Jackpots include the Mini (x25), Minor (x50), Major (x150), and Grand Jackpot (x1000), with the chance to win up to x5000 the total bet for hitting the maximum. Every Bonus or Bonus Collect symbol refreshes the spin counter to three, keeping the excitement high.
Additionally, the Bonus Blast Feature can activate randomly during the base game, adding more Bonus and Bonus Collect symbols to help trigger the Bonus Game.
Omer Henya, Co-CEO of Spinomenal, said:
“Celtic Coins – Hold & Hit 3×3 is another classy addition to our growing Hold & Hit 3×3 series. The coin-locking feature is on the money and makes for an incredibly exciting reel experience that is perfectly complemented by the jackpots and multipliers on offer.”
The launch reinforces Spinomenal’s commitment to innovative, feature-packed slots that combine visually rich themes with rewarding gameplay mechanics.
The post Spinomenal expands Hold & Hit 3×3 series with Celtic Coins appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Betting.za.com
Betting.za.com supports amendments strengthening South Africa’s voluntary exclusion system and compliance requirements
Betting.za.com, a leading South African information site for online betting and gambling, has welcomed the publication of draft amendments to the National Gambling Regulations, 2004 in Government Gazette No. 54106, issued under Government Notice R. 7113 by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
The proposed changes focus on improving the administration and enforcement of South Africa’s Voluntary Exclusion Programme through the National Register of Excluded Persons, alongside updates to technical rules for gambling machine re-certification.
“Stronger, clearer processes around voluntary exclusion are an essential part of player protection,” said Dennis Kumar, lead betting expert at Betting.za.com. “Anything that makes it easier to self-exclude, harder to bypass, and clearer for licensed operators to implement should be supported — because gambling should always remain safe, controlled, and within limits.”
Key Amendments Proposed in the Gazette
1. Clearer Registration for Voluntary Exclusion
Players wishing to self-exclude must submit a notice to the National Gambling Board (NGB) using Form NGB 1/1, in hard copy or electronically, including a recent passport-sized photo or digital image meeting minimum specifications.
2. Defined Timelines for Handling Notices
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Operators must forward exclusion notices to the Board on the day they receive them.
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The Board must process the notice within five days (excluding weekends/public holidays) and share it with license holders and provincial authorities.
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Operators must implement administrative procedures within five days after receipt.
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Exclusion takes effect 10 days after submission to the Board.
3. Strengthened Internal Controls
License holders must submit internal control measures to provincial authorities within 90 days of the regulations taking effect, ensuring effective enforcement in gambling venues. Provincial authorities then report both internal controls and provincial registers to the Board.
4. Updated Gambling Machine Re-certification Rules
The amendments revise timing for technical re-certification of gambling machines and devices, including a 24-month window in certain circumstances.
5. Updated Forms
Forms NGB 1/1 and NGB 1/2 have been revised and included in the Gazette annexure.
What This Means for Players
Voluntary exclusion provides a formal “opt-out” mechanism for anyone wanting to limit their gambling activity. Once registered:
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Players are excluded from designated gambling areas nationally
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Names are added to the National Register of Excluded Persons
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Gambling while excluded may result in forfeited winnings, remitted to the Board
The updated forms also reference support services, including the National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) toll-free helpline: 0800 006 008, and an SMS/WhatsApp line.
Implications for Operators and Regulators
The draft regulations emphasize speed, consistency, and accountability:
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Operators must escalate notices same-day to the Board
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The Board has five days to capture and distribute the notice
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Operators have five days to implement administrative processes
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Mandatory submission of internal control measures ensures auditability and compliance
Betting.za.com: Championing Safer, Transparent Gambling
Betting.za.com provides independent, plain-language guidance on betting and online casino topics, focusing on licensed operators and player protection.
“Our mission is to be South Africa’s most reliable source for betting and casino information,” said Kumar. “This includes making regulatory updates easy to understand, highlighting practical tools like voluntary exclusion, and ensuring players know where to get help if gambling stops being fun.”
About Betting.za.com
Betting.za.com is South Africa’s trusted destination for expert betting and casino information. Led by Dennis Kumar, the platform publishes independent reviews, guides, and industry updates to help players make informed, safe choices.
Responsible gambling support: NRGP toll-free helpline 0800 006 008
The post Betting.za.com supports amendments strengthening South Africa’s voluntary exclusion system and compliance requirements appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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