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[AV]

You've skewed the results here by adding "New Horizons" to Animal Crossing, which the vast majority of searchers did not do. Most searchers don't add the "2077" to cyberpunk either.

Do that and the results are very different (same trends, just much larger for AC), and show just how big AC was. I'm at my work machine so I can't post a screenshot.

Google knows how to discern between a keyword and a product, so you can filter out things like generic "animal crossing" searches and even specify that you're talking about the franchise - which beats CP2077 searches - both of which are unfair comparisons for a series that's been around for almost two decades. Ain't nobody looking for the Cyberpunk tabletop RPG.

You also forgot to switch to worldwide, because the generic "animal crossing" search still doesn't beat Cyberpunk as a product.

But for transparency here's the same graph but with an overlay - the faded lines represent generic keyword searches, animal crossing, cyberpunk, the last of us.

 

[Mitsuda Maniac]

Pet Crossing, or whatever, is popular in the same way that Bejeweled and Candy Crush were popular.

 

[Arthimura]

Lmao.

Nintendo fans can't get over the lack of Nintendo games this year so they use ACNH sales to compensate themselves.
ACNH sold well because of COVID-19 and lack of new releases in the first quarter.

It was a terrible year for Nintendo, and i say this as a Switch owner.

 

[Termite]

Google knows how to discern between a keyword and a product, so you can filter out things like generic "animal crossing" searches and even specify that you're talking about the franchise - which beats CP2077 searches - both of which are unfair comparisons for a series that's been around for almost two decades. Ain't nobody looking for the Cyberpunk tabletop RPG.

You also forgot to switch to worldwide, because the generic "animal crossing" search still doesn't beat Cyberpunk as a product.

But for transparency here's the same graph but with an overlay - the faded lines represent generic keyword searches, animal crossing, cyberpunk, the last of us.

You are correct, I forgot to switch to worldwide. Thanks for the updated visual and data.

I still think that's a significant bump for AC when using the generic search term, but cyberpunk does indeed win out.

 

[Captain Toad]

No.
Toys and things can't make me upset or angry.

Lol, ok. Yet here you are fighting for "prejudice" against Animal Crossing.

 

[Petaya Berry]

Lol, ok. Yet here you are fighting for "prejudice" against Animal Crossing.

I'm still learning english and I use this forum most to practice.
What word would be better than "prejudice" in this context?

 

[Hendrick's]

 

[HoleinOne]

Cyberpunk has transcended games, it has been talked about by everyone

Only since its recent release and in large part due to its awful console ports. If you're not in the gaming bubble, you might've heard it mentioned in passing, but nowhere near as often as AC. There's no doubt that Cyberpunk is extremely popular (just look at the sales), but I don't think it has the broad appeal of Animal Crossing.

 

[ULTROS!]

It's big but there are a lot of other bigger games of this year:

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (I know friends who aren't gamers who bought a Switch for this)
2. Among Us (even non-gamers play this game)
3. Fall Guys (although I don't know if it's as popular now)
4. Phasmophobia

 

[Hugare]

Nunca sequer ouvi falar nesse cara.


No.
Toys and things can't make me upset or angry.



I mean, for me, both are crap.
When I think about quality moves, I don't think about north-american ones.

Pelo amor de Deus, cara

Jogue Marcos Jeeves no Youtube e veja os resultados

Alem disso, todos os memes com os bugs e gráficos capados do jogo. Meme de Cyberounk rodando em PS2 ...

 

[Warnen]

I'm sure cyberpunk being 3rd party helps a lot but Animal crossing was huge for a few months.

 

[Petaya Berry]

Jogue (...) no Youtube e veja os resultados

Não tenho saco pra ver youtube. Nem sei quando foi a última vez que assisti um vídeo lá.

Até pesquisei ele, mas tive que pesquisar Keanu Reeves também porque não tenho a menor ideia de como é a cara dele.
E não é que em algumas fotos eles se parecem mesmo.

 

[LazyParrot]

I also disagree that New Horizons got talked about more. The hype train for cyberpunk was massive.

On enthusiast boards and sites, maybe. Out in the real world, though? Maybe not so much. I take the train every day. In the morning it's full of kids aged 6-18, in the evening it's adults. 90% of the time gaming related discussions will be about mobile games, Fifa, or Fortnite, but I've heard both groups talk about Animal Crossing multiple times. Never heard anyone mention Cyberpunk, not even after the game launched.

 

[RedVIper]

On enthusiast boards and sites, maybe. Out in the real world, though? Maybe not so much. I take the train every day. In the morning it's full of kids aged 6-18, in the evening it's adults. 90% of the time gaming related discussions will be about mobile games, Fifa, or Fortnite, but I've heard both groups talk about Animal Crossing multiple times. Never heard anyone mention Cyberpunk, not even after the game launched.

Yes your train is representative of how popular a game is.

 

[Woggleman]

Your average suburban soccer mom knows what Animal Crossing is and many play it. Most probably don't know what Cyberpunk 2077 is.

 

[LazyParrot]

Yes your train is representative of how popular a game is.

More so than our little hardcore gamer bubble here, that's for sure.

 

[GymWolf]

This topic hurts my brain.

 

[Mobilemofo]

Don't do Nintendo no more..since it went all family friendly. Not even competition any more. They do their own thing.

 

[RedVIper]

More so than our little hardcore gamer bubble here, that's for sure.

How about google trends? Twitch? Youtube?

 

[NathanDiego]

Cyberpunk has transcended games, it has been talked about by everyone, Animal Crossing was huge sure but nowhere near Cyberpunk.

Animal Crossing had Corona to thank for why it garnered more eyes on it.

Cyberpunk was the biggest event outside of real world events this year.

Yeah Cyberpunk is a joke everywhere, Animal Crossing can't beat that.

 

[Plantoid]

I don't care about nintendo since n64 was a thing.. cyberpunk all the way, but I'm waiting the bug fixes and discount to get it on xsx

 

[BigBooper]

I think it only got talked about more by the games press limp wrist noodles. So much obnoxious "AC is the game we need right now for covid" schlock.

 

[LazyParrot]

How about google trends? Twitch? Youtube?

A games popularity is not always a good predictor of its prominence on either Youtube or Twitch.

Twitch in particular doesn't exactly attract the "average" game to begin with, and it also heavily favors competitive multiplayer titles, especially those on PC with an established history. If you looked at Twitch viewer numbers over the past 10 years, you'd come away thinking that World Of Warcraft was more popular than Call of Duty, even though that's obviously not the case. Single player games in general almost always underperform on Twitch relative to their sales numbers, and that is doubly true for Nintendo games which lack both PC releases and a history on the platform. There are a few games every year that temporarily buck the trend (and Cyberpunk is certainly one of them), but it never lasts for more than a few weeks.

As for Google trends, it's way too early to tell. I wouldn't be surprised at all of Cyberpunk peaks higher there than Animal Crossing, but drops off significantly faster in the following months, as single player games with a set ending tend to do.

 

[RedVIper]

A games popularity is not always a good predictor of its prominence on either Youtube or Twitch.

Twitch in particular doesn't exactly attract the "average" game to begin with, and it also heavily favors competitive multiplayer titles, especially those on PC with an established history. If you looked at Twitch viewer numbers over the past 10 years, you'd come away thinking that World Of Warcraft was more popular than Call of Duty, even though that's obviously not the case. Single player games in general almost always underperform on Twitch relative to their sales numbers, and that is doubly true for Nintendo games which lack both PC releases and a history on the platform. There are a few games every year that temporarily buck the trend (and Cyberpunk is certainly one of them), but it never lasts for more than a few weeks.

As for Google trends, it's way too early to tell. I wouldn't be surprised at all of Cyberpunk peaks higher there than Animal Crossing, but drops off significantly faster in the following months, as single player games with a set ending tend to do.

So I can't make a conclusion on whether or not a game is popular based on youtube, google and twitch.

But you can conclude that a game is popular based on your train?

Cool.

 

[pr0cs]

these topics are so strange to me.

I am only interested in games that the masses have deemed "biggest games", otherwise I'm upset and need to post a topic on it

Just seems like a bizarre way to share your love of gaming.

 

[Enzo88]

Why do we care about what's more popular again? Enjoying what we like is not good enough? Does my favorite thing also need to be the most talked about?

 

[JLB]

Ill take a buggy as hell CP2077 before a german-polished Animal Crossing every single time.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Animal Crossing had legs.

We're not sure if Cyberpunk does.

Legs are a sign of a games quality.

 

[harmny]

can you sit on every chair in animal crossing? how is the police ai do they just spawn behind you? how about the random npcs do they have a work life cycle can i follow one for hours and have meaningful conversations about their life that go on for hours? is the shooting better than cod? can i gamble? have sex? what about the driving is it better than forza? what about the driving ai? are my choices and the rpg system deeper than a pen and paper rpg? do they have a voice actor for every gender and race to choose?
i'm sorry but these are the things that make a good game. i don't care about anything else

 

[LazyParrot]

So I can't make a conclusion on whether or not a game is popular based on youtube, google and twitch.

But you can conclude that a game is popular based on your train?

Cool.

As I said, these platforms attract a certain audience, and it tends to consist of people with an above average interest in games.

My train also attracts a certain audience, namely people with a need to travel to and from school and work. Which is basically everyone over the age of five.

Which of the two do you think better represents the tastes of the population as a whole?

 

[RedVIper]

Which of the two do you think better represents the tastes of the population as a whole?

The population as a whole is irrelevant.

The percentage that plays games matters.

I'm not even disagreing that AC has more players, it probably does it has more mass appeal, but basing it off your train, lol.

 

[LazyParrot]

The population as a whole is irrelevant.

The percentage that plays games matters.

I'm not even disagreing that AC has more players, it probably does it has more mass appeal, but basing it off your train, lol.

The percentage that plays games ≠ the percentage that not only plays games, but actively and habitually engages with them on Twitch and other online platforms.

Using the latter to draw conclusions about the former is a bad idea.

 

[Woggleman]

People need to accept that just like movies there are genres to video games and AC is the bubblegum pop of games. Cyberpunk 2077 is the new wave punk of games.

 

[Petaya Berry]

The percentage that plays games ≠ the percentage that not only plays games, but actively and habitually engages with them on Twitch and other online platforms.

Using the latter to draw conclusions about the former is a bad idea.

I think that a good metric is to look at who is talking about the game.

For Animal Crossing we had chains of fast food, politicians, singers, actors. A lot of people who usually do not play, but are posting pics of Animal Crossing in their social media.

My thread is not an attack against Cyberpunk (and while I won't play, I am a CDPR fan because of GoG). But Animal Crossing crossed the boundaries of a typical games, it turned into a cultural phenomenon to the point that a lot of non-gaming media was talking about. And I do not see the same happening with Cyberpunk.

People here should be open minded. The same people that accused me of being angry, are the people being angry because a colorful and silly game get talked more than the super mature AAA launch.

In the end, both are games. If you are happy playing one of them, do not need to be rude if you disliked a thread made by an anon.

Simple as that.

 

[Portugeezer]

Animal Crossing looks like a f2p game.

 

[Petaya Berry]

Animal Crossing looks like a f2p game.

?

And what your feeling about the game have to do with this thread?

 

[alabtrosMyster]

Marvel movies don't usually win "best movie awards"

 

[Raonak]

Lol. Noone really gives a fuck about casual games like animal crossing on a gaming forum.

It's just like minecraft, or fortnite, or whatever casual bait of the month pops up. They're popular, yes. They're just not interesting to discuss.

 

[Lionel Richie]

@Jooxed & Lionel Richie must be fapping furiously to this thread, smh

So much salt in this thread that fapping might be a heart attack risk.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

What about Demon's Souls Remake? Shouldn't that be game of the year?

I haven't played it but I can just feel these things. Well akshully I did kind of play it 10 years ago so that's how I know it's the GotY this year

 

[Master of Disguise]

You really have to look at what's popular in China and India to get an understanding of what the real movers and shakers in the games industry are.

 

[IntentionalPun]

Nintendo targets a much wider market, it includes some enthusiast gamers, but they are outnumbered by non-enthusiasts. By that same token most game enthusiasts, particularly those in the West, don't play games like AC. Hence why "western" enthusiast forums and media won't pay it much attention.

 

[EDMIX]

There are a lot of people saying this about Cyberpunk, but meanwhile, New Horizons sold more, got talked more and turned in a cultural phenomenon. And being exclusive to just one console.

I mean, we got kids playing with their grandparents, US of A politicians using the game, famous people posting about the game in their social media.

So, help me understand why there is this prejudice against the biggest game of the year by all metrics.

Let's discuss.

Agreed. Its also playable and Nintendo didn't lie to their investors and consumers.

 

[ULTROS!]

Honestly, AC couldn't come at a better time: the start of the COVID lockdown. People couldn't do anything, they couldn't go out, they're looking for ways to "hang out" with other people. This game was the perfect solution for all that. It's an escapism of the difficult lockdown, a way to escape from isolation, and it's pretty easy to play (casual friendly).

But here's a legit question: why didn't Doom Eternal, which came out the same time as Animal Crossing, get the same popularity as AC or at least close to it?

 

[Lethal01]

How about google trends? Twitch? Youtube?

Data is incomplete currently, the damn thing only launched the other day, but it's looking like Cyberpunk is the hottest.

 

[DavidGzz]

What's that? Looks like a game for toddlers.

 

[Shelookdlvl18]

At least here... The game of the year will be whatever Playstation exclusive the fans here decide it is. To suggest otherwise is futile.

 

[Neff]

By that same token most game enthusiasts, particularly those in the West, don't play games like AC.

GAF's AC OT has almost the same page count as FFVII Remake's, Ghost of Tsushima's, or TLoU Part II's, is more than twice the size of Doom Eternal's, and four times the size of the RE3 remake. It's an old series going all the way back to the N64, and has millions of followers.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons |OT| Self-isolating on a deserted island

Friend list swap in post 360

www.neogaf.com

I can't stand AC personally, but it's incorrect to state that it doesn't enjoy significant enthusiast participation. It just happens to also include a shitload of casual participation on top.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

CyberBug 2076 is the biggest flop of the year indeed.

 

[RoyalLaFlame]

AC this year was everywhere. Everyone knows about it. Cyberpunk is big, but AC has even non-gaming people talking about it.


It is the biggest release of this year.