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Simplified Chinese overtakes English as the most commonly used language on Steam
Steam conducts a monthly optional and anonymous survey to gather data on the computer hardware and software utilized by its customers. Credit: Steam.
The latest data from Steam‘s monthly hardware and software survey has revealed that Simplified Chinese has become the primary language on the gaming platform, accounting for 32.84% of players in February. The shift may be attributed to a substantial increase in Chinese gamers taking to the site during China’s Lunar New Year holiday (Feb. 9 – Feb. 16).
Why it matters: The language trend reflects the growing influence of Simplified Chinese-reading players within the Steam community, and highlights strong demand for the Steam platform and PC games in the Chinese market.
Details: Steam conducts a monthly optional and anonymous survey to gather data on the computer hardware and software utilized by its customers. This information aids the platform in determining investment priorities for developing new technologies and offering products. In February, the top five most commonly used languages among Steam players based on this survey were Simplified Chinese at 32.84%, English at 32.12%, Russian at 9.27%, Spanish at 4.10%, and Portuguese at 3.45%.
- This language ranking marks the second time Simplified Chinese has topped the charts, with the first instance dating back to the popularity of the multiplayer online battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds in 2017, when Simplified Chinese players accounted for over 60% of Steam’s user base, according to local media outlet IThome.
- Operating system: Windows 10 remains the most widely used system among Steam users, accounting for a significant 54.19%. Despite the release of Windows 11 in October 2021, players may be choosing to continue using Windows 10 due to considerations of stability and compatibility.
- Hardware configuration: 49.04% of players’ computers have 16GB of system memory, making this the most prevalent setup. As gaming hardware demands rise, 16GB of memory has become the standard for ensuring smooth gameplay across a majority of gaming titles.
- Display resolution: The majority of players, some 58.82%, prefer a resolution of 1920 x 1080. This data indicates that 1080p remains the mainstream choice for gamers, despite the gradual popularity of 4K resolution. For most players, 1080p offers a more cost-effective option.
- Graphics card: The RTX 3060 has become the most widely used graphics card with a 6% share, suggesting the widespread popularity of Nvidia’s RTX30 series graphics cards due to their performance and ray-tracing technology.
Context: The US currently leads in the number of Steam users, with 13.7 million people using the platform to share and play games, while China follows closely as the second-highest user base, with 11.4 million users, according to World Population Review.
- The most played Steam games of 2023 (where the peak player count exceeded 300,000) include titles such as Apex Legends, Baldur’s Gate 3, Counter-Strike 2, Destiny 2, Dota 2, Goose Goose Duck, Hogwarts Legacy, Lost Ark, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Sons Of The Forest, and Starfield. While not exclusively a Chinese game, PUBG: Battlegrounds was published and distributed in China by Tencent Games.
Source: Nico Partners / technode.com
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Crypto Sportsbook, Sportsbet.io’s player wins huge $3.2m jackpot from $5 spin
A lucky Sportsbet.io player is celebrating the win of a lifetime after turning a single 5 USDT spin into a 3.2 million USDT jackpot on a popular slot game.
The huge winner was playing Midnight Marauder Dream Drop with perfect timing, with their spin triggering Relax Gaming’s Dream Drop Mega Jackpot of more than $3 million in the USDT stablecoin currency.
Alex Haig, Director at Sportsbet.io, said: “Another day, another multi-million dollar jackpot dropping on Sportsbet.io. We’re quickly gaining a reputation for jackpot wins, and this latest player is truly living the dream by turning $5 into $3.2 million. With one of the best collections of premium games to choose from, it won’t be long before more life-changing jackpots are won on Sportsbet.io.”
It isn’t the first time Sportsbet.io players have landed multi-million dollar paydays on the site.
Earlier this year one sports bettor landed $3 million on an ambitious, seven-way multibet.
And at the end of last year, another player won the largest slots jackpot in history, turning a single $50 spin into an incredible $42 million prize with Games Global’s WowPot!™ progressive jackpot.
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Savvy Games Delegation Joins More Than 30,000 Fans for Tencent and Hero Esports’ Honor of Kings Grand Finals in Beijing
The inaugural King Pro League Grand Finals 2024, the biggest esports event in China, drew more than 30,000 fans to a sold-out Beijing Workers’ Stadium on Nov 16. A delegation from Savvy Games and the Esports World Cup Foundation also joined the iconic event hosted by Chinese tech giant Tencent and the largest esports company in Asia, Hero Esports (formerly known as VSPO).
HRH Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, Vice Chairman of Savvy Games Group (Savvy); Brian Ward, CEO of Savvy; and Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, attended the tournament where two top Chinese esports teams competed for the inaugural Holy Dragon Cup and a record prize pool.
A total of 70 million rmb ($9.8 million) was awarded to the top 12 teams who advanced through the rounds of the six-week-long tournament. The final showdown was between Chengdu All Gamers and Chongqing Wolves, where Chengdu All Gamers emerged victorious in a best-of-seven series and took home 22 million rmb ($3.1 million) in prize money.
King Pro League, the premier esports league for Tencent’s hit game Honor of Kings, is the biggest esports league in Asia. Honor of Kings is the world’s most popular mobile game with more than 100 million daily players. Hero Esports has been the organizer of KPL tournaments since the league was first launched in 2016.
This year marks the inaugural KPL Grand Finals, which replaces the Honor of Kings International Championship for Chinese Honor of Kings competitors and features the top teams from across China, one of the biggest esports markets in the world with the most players. Events were held at arenas in Chengdu, Hangzhou and Changsha, with the Grand Finals event being held in Beijing.
The popularity of esports is growing rapidly around the world, encouraged by government support in a number of countries and new products and technology. According to a Frost & Sullivan Report, the market size of the esports gaming industry has experienced a significant increase at a CAGR of 15.2% from US$29.8 billion in 2017 to US$52.6 billion in 2021, and is expected to increase further at a CAGR of 12.1% from US$57.9 billion in 2022 to US$102.4 billion in 2027.
The report also shows that the number of gamers globally has experienced a significant increase at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2.3 billion in 2017 to 3.1 billion in 2021, and is expected to further increase at a CAGR of 5.5% from 3.3 billion in 2022 to 4.3 billion in 2027.
Danny Tang, CEO and Co-Founder of Hero Esports, commented: “Hero Esports is proud to have been a part of the first King Pro League Grand Finals, which is an example of the high calibre esports tournaments that fans and players everywhere deserve. The strong enthusiasm we’ve seen for this event in its first year is a testament to the significant growth of interest in this sport and the support of our high-profile sponsors. The atmosphere in the arena was electric and we congratulate the Chengdu All Gamers in winning the inaugural Holy Dragon Cup.”
Hero Esports, formerly known as VSPO, is a leading player in the global esports industry, collaborating with major game developers and global brands and organizing tournaments for players and fans across the world. It is the biggest esports tournament operator in Asia, having hosted 86 tournaments in the region in 2023, of which 62 were in China, compared with a total of 77 tournaments in 2020, of which three were overseas. The company recently announced the Esports Asian Champions League (ACL), Asia’s new premier international esports tournament featuring multiple titles.
Sponsors of the King Pro League Grand Finals 2024 include Meituan, Snapdragon and SAIC Volkswagen and iQOO.
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