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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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Special Joker symbols refresh iconic series in Wazdan’s retro-inspired Magic Fruits Dice
Wazdan, the gain-focused developer, has introduced Magic Fruits Dice, a vibrant new entry in its successful Magic Fruit series, featuring special Joker symbols that enhance win potential in a nostalgic, retro-inspired slot experience.
Designed for fans of traditional slot gameplay, Magic Fruits Dice features a classic three-reel, five-payline format paired with a retro fruit theme reminiscent of land-based machines. With its straightforward structure and easy-to-follow rules, the game focuses on delivering simple yet engaging entertainment centered around one standout feature.
At the heart of the gameplay is the Joker symbol, which acts as the highest-paying icon in the game. The Joker can appear alongside the four lowest-paying symbols as an additional icon displayed in their corner. When three of these special symbols land on a payline, players receive the corresponding payout, creating a clear and rewarding gameplay mechanic.
The title also incorporates Wazdan’s customisable Volatility Levels
, allowing players to adjust the gameplay experience to suit their preferred risk and reward style. This flexibility ensures the slot can appeal to different player profiles across a variety of regulated markets.
By focusing on a single, recognisable feature, Magic Fruits Dice reflects Wazdan’s engagement-driven approach to game development, delivering a tailored player experience designed to perform consistently for operators.
Andrzej Hyla, Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan, said:
“Magic Fruits Dice demonstrates our commitment to remaining an innovative supplier, even within the most classic of formats. As a team, we take great pride in evolving established series such as Magic Fruits while preserving the qualities that players value most.
“This release reflects our belief that the quality of the user’s experience is paramount. By combining a timeless three-reel structure with a distinctive Joker mechanic, we continue to go above and beyond for our partners, delivering games that are both familiar and capable of making a real impact across multiple markets.”
The post Special Joker symbols refresh iconic series in Wazdan’s retro-inspired Magic Fruits Dice appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Big Adventures Campaign
Evoplay wraps up record-breaking Big Adventures campaign with Maldives grand prize
Evoplay, the award-winning game development studio, has officially concluded its largest-ever network campaign, Big Adventures, with the grand prize winner revealed during a live draw held on March 12.
Running for nine months from June 2025 to February 2026, the promotion became one of Evoplay’s most ambitious engagement initiatives to date. The campaign featured a €2.5 million total prize pool, distributed more than 115,000 random prizes, and delivered 180 days of player activity across participating operator platforms.
Throughout the promotion, players competed in multiple tournament phases while unlocking additional rewards through interactive mechanics such as Prize Drops and Wheel of Fortune events.
Although thousands of prizes were awarded during the campaign, the highlight came with the announcement of the Grand Mega Prize: a VIP trip to the Maldives for two, including flights, premium accommodation, and a curated island experience organised by Evoplay.
The winner was selected through a live random draw among the Top 100 players on the final leaderboard, recognising those who performed best throughout the tournament stages.
The recording of the draw is available here: https://youtube.com/live/mpPQB0MSyZM
In addition to the main prizes, Big Adventures also rewarded loyal players through quarterly giveaways, where top participants received the latest iPhone Pro Max devices.
Beyond player engagement, the campaign was also designed to deliver strong value for operators. Built-in gamification tools — including leaderboard APIs, promotional assets, and integrated campaign widgets — allowed operators to promote the event seamlessly across their platforms.
Following the success of Big Adventures, Evoplay has already launched its next large-scale campaign, Four Seasons of Legends, beginning with the Spring edition. The new initiative offers operators another opportunity to participate in a network-wide promotion aimed at boosting player engagement and retention.
Diana Larina, Head of Marketing at Evoplay, said:
“Big Adventures has been a landmark campaign for Evoplay and our operator partners. Over the past nine months we’ve seen incredible engagement from players around the world, with thousands of prizes won and strong participation across every phase of the campaign.
“The live finale was the perfect way to close the campaign and celebrate the community that took part, and we’re already looking ahead to the next major campaign, which will give operators even more opportunities to engage their players.”
The post Evoplay wraps up record-breaking Big Adventures campaign with Maldives grand prize appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Latest News
Million Games Launches Piggy Rush with RushReel and Cash Collect Mechanics
Million Games has unveiled Piggy Rush, a new feature-packed 5×3 video slot that blends classic fruit-themed visuals with modern gameplay mechanics and fixed jackpot opportunities.
Created by Yugo Workshop, part of the Million Stars partner studio programme, Piggy Rush marks the eighth collaboration between the two companies.
At the center of the game is the RushReel, a bonus reel that can activate during any spin. When triggered, it awards multipliers or additional Piggy Symbols, enhancing both line wins and the Cash Collect Feature to dynamically increase win potential.
Piggy Symbols play a crucial role in the gameplay. At the end of each spin, all Piggy Symbols transform simultaneously, either becoming matching paying symbols or turning into Coins and Collector symbols that activate the Cash Collect mode.
During the Cash Collect Feature, players gather coin values while competing for three fixed jackpots:
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Mega – 1000x base bet
-
Major – 200x base bet
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Mini – 50x base bet
With medium volatility and a maximum payout of up to 5,000x the bet, Piggy Rush is designed to appeal to a broad audience while still offering strong win potential.
Thomas Nimstad, CEO of Million Games, said:
“Piggy Rush demonstrates how strong base mechanics combined with layered bonus features can create accessible yet engaging gameplay. It’s another strong addition to our growing portfolio and a testament to the strength of our Million Stars partner programme.”
Piggy Rush is now available globally through Million Games for operators and aggregators.
The post Million Games Launches Piggy Rush with RushReel and Cash Collect Mechanics appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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