A new challenger has taken over “Overwatch” in the ranking of games in the Korean Internet cafes. In 2016, Blizzard’s popular first-person shooter game became more popular than Riot’s MOBA “League of Legends.” With the recent ranking, it appears that the fame the popular FPS title used to enjoy is now waning.
The latest ranking released by Korean game tracking platform Gametrics reveals that Riot Game’s MOBA “League of Legends” has reclaimed the top spot.
Interestingly, while fans were expecting that “Overwatch” will rank second, the game was overtaken by a new challenger, “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.” The new comer, “PUBG,” has a 13.51-percent share of players, while Blizzard’s first-person shooter title only got 12.99 percent.
Other details
It is worth noting that the developer of the current top 2 game in the Korean Internet cafes is Korean. Apparently, Bluehole knows the Korean market and has designed several marketing strategies to capture it. ”PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” has a battle royale type of gameplay, which is universally patronized by gamers.
However, it is undeniably significant that Bluehole will culturally have an edge over other games in the Korean gaming market.
Given the factors that could contribute to the recent success of “PUBG,” it is still impressive that a new challenger on its early access stage has overtaken a popular game. Blizzard’s first-person shooter title has a slew of activities this month and even in the previous months. The game has just concluded its Summer Games 2017. It has also staged World Cup a few weeks ago, which even includes the Korean team. Despite these activities, it appears that these were not enough to keep Korean gamers from playing the game.
Blizzard has greatly benefited from the Korean gaming market as well as the esports scene of the country.
With the way things run in the gaming market, it seems that “PUBG” might soon fix its grip on the second spot or even on the tops spot. Bluehole will soon introduce a new desert map for the game. The upcoming title is also expected to be released this year, with the developer assuring players that updates and contents will be released regularly.
What’s Blizzard up to?
Meanwhile, Blizzard recently released new arcades modes in their popular first-person shooter title. Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes are now available on “Overwatch” live servers. In addition, new Australian escort map Junkertown is currently in the game’s PTR and will soon be made available to all players. Will Blizzard be able to reclaim its spot from “PUBG”?