Clash Royale’s recent resurgence has definitely surpassed that of Brawl Stars earlier this year, which is a once-in-a-lifetime feat. Considered way past its peak just a year ago, this mobile strategy game has increased its monthly revenue by 600% since January, thanks to its new updates, but most importantly, streamer influence.
Initially released by Supercell in 2016, Clash Royale was an immediate hit, winning Game of the Year on both the Apple and Google Play stores. For those living under a rock, it’s a real-time card-based strategy game where players deploy cards and outplay opponents in lane-based tower battles. Because every game lasts a maximum of five minutes, the convenience of playing has been essential to its success; not to mention, the 1v1 format makes every match a tense showdown, especially amongst friends.
In recent years, the popularity of Clash Royale has slowly declined due to frustrations about the game being increasingly pay-to-win. The developers implemented updates that introduced new upgrades and reduced free-to-play progression, and as a result, players began to quit as the time it took to raise cards to max level became months and years. The gameplay also became increasingly stale, as every month only featured a new card or evolution, with recycled events and game modes.
It’s unclear what mainly caused the revival, but a pivotal factor has been streamer influence, primarily Jynxzi, a world famous streamer who averages 40,000 concurrent viewers in twitch. He became hooked on Clash Royale in early May, averaging close to forty thousand concurrent viewers on Twitch collaborating with top Clash Royale pros and content creators. Immediately, clips of Jynxzi making outplays or raging became viral on social media, garnering millions of views, skyrocketing Clash Royale’s popularity.
Other factors have also influenced the game’s revival. Possibly due to the wave of popularity, Supercell has also improved the quality of life in recent updates. In July, four free card evolutions (each worth $11.99) were given out to players for free, claimable just by logging in. Clash Royale League (CRL), the official pro circuit, also started in June, and combined with streamer influence, caused a massive spike in viewership. The popularity will last through at least early November, with the CRL World Finals featuring the twelve best players, including names like Mohamed Light and Ian77.
It’s uncertain how long this surge of popularity will last, but definitely not forever, as top streamers like Jynxzi will eventually move on from the game as viewers get increasingly bored. However, everyone hopes that Supercell doesn’t take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for granted and does its best to retain its playerbase, by delivering updates that make the game more free-to-play friendly and fun for everyone, no matter their skill level.