Controversy-ridden Cyberpunk 2077 has managed to clutch a major win, following the release of figures detailing the popularity of some of the internet's biggest fanbases. Following the collection of data from across Reddit, Twitter, and Google, Cyberpunk 2077 has been reported as having the sixth-largest fanbase on the internet.
The CD Projekt title has beaten media giant Marvel to the sixth place spot, as well as seating itself well above one of its open-world rivals, Grand Theft Auto. Despite Cyberpunk 2077's raft of controversies after its rocky 2020 launch, the title has nonetheless shown the quality of its world and characters in alluring such a large fanbase. While halfway down the top 10 list, it's respectable that the title has managed to claw back some kudos from players through its world and characters, in spite of the gameplay's poor state at launch.
By analyzing online traffic for subreddit members, hashtags and Google Trends data, FandomSpot.com's research concluded that Cyberpunk 2077 boasted a large fanbase that propelled it up the list, brushing aside industry giants like Call of Duty and Fortnite. While Cyberpunk 2077 was derided for its buggy gameplay, leading to a host of lawsuits and backlash, Cyberpunk 2077's rich and storied world seemingly managed to engross players enough to engage with the title in online forums- though, it does raise the question of how much of the title's engagement was from rightfully angry customers, decrying the bug-ridden launch of Cyberpunk 2077.
Mojang took the overall throne in the fanbase rankings, closely followed by Nintendo. Gaming monoliths Minecraft and Pokemon neatly secured the first and second places on the list, respectively, and lockdown darling Animal Crossing took third. A huge win for tabletop game fans crops up on fourth place, with Dungeons and Dragons managing to claim the spot just above the Zelda franchise.
The top ten looked like this:
- Minecraft
- Pokemon
- Animal Crossing
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Zelda
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Marvel Studios
- Rick and Morty
- The Last Airbender
- Grand Theft Auto
Fanbases across the world surged over the last year, as world-wide Coronavirus restrictions saw millions cooped up in their homes. With the world at a standstill, demand for games and films skyrocketed alongside the fanbases of multiple titles, as evidenced in the list. Minecraft's sub-reddit alone saw a boom of 2.2 million new members since March 2020, marking a growth of 80% over the year. The period of time recorded makes Cyberpunk 2077's placing on the list all the more impressive, having launched relatively late in the study, in December 2020.
Cyberpunk 2077 is a testament to two things- the quality and depth of story within CD Projekt Red's worlds, and the power of hype. While Cyberpunk 2077 underwent a torrent of negative press, angry reviews, and a refund campaign, the title nonetheless made ripples in the gaming world, for better or worse. The much-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 fell short of many expectations for a triple-A game, perhaps rightfully damaging CD Projekt's bottom line, as well as the Polish company's public image.
At the end of the day, though, CD Projekt made the Witcher 3- one of the last generation's most celebrated titles. The wave of support, hype, and goodwill for CD Projekt leading up to the Cyberpunk 2077's release ultimately put it in a position to succeed regardless of the backlash, and get enough gamers into its world to catch them with its engrossing story in spite of its misgivings. The fact Cyberpunk 2077 sits so high in this popularity contest is testament to the good, and the bad, within the title- the simple fact that, for all the issues the game had (and still has), there's a great game in there worth talking about.
Cyberpunk 2077 is out now for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions also in development.
Source: FandomSpot