Anticipating the next big games on live streaming often requires deep investigative work and an understanding of hidden trends among popular titles. But Steam Next Fest gives the entire industry direct insight into what people want from new titles. For a week from the 14th to the 21st of October, over 3000 demos were made freely available on the platform – that’s roughly double the number of demos that featured just a few months ago during June’s Next Fest! Naturally, this meant streamers jumped on the hype train and tried out what they felt might be the next big game upon full release.
This time around, Valve pushed to allow smaller games to rise to the top of the heap. In the past, the “Recommended Games” carousel has simply featured the most played demos which created a snowball effect for hyped titles. But for October, the Steam store page featured Next Fest promos all week, and the carousel at the top of each user’s page was personalized to feature games wishlisted by other users who have historically played similar games. Thanks to Simon Carless at GameDiscoverCo for this insight (and other useful data from Next Fest)!
In this article, however, we’re looking at the most successful demos on live-streaming platforms, including a discussion of some of the most hyped titles and the influence of Chinese publishers on anticipated titles.
Steam Next Fest Sees Curious Viewers Turning to Live Streaming for Inspiration
Overall, Steam Next Fest grabbed the attention of streamers. The top 100 demos (based on peak concurrent user counts in October) generated 7.8M hours watched, with an aggregated peak viewership across those titles of 618K. People crave new experiences and being “first” to a new trend online, which makes these kinds of sneak peeks at upcoming titles highly desirable. For streamers, they can also quickly crowdsource opinions from their fans on what games they should be tracking in the coming months. The event participation was helped by a lack of competition from other gaming events, unlike June’s Next Fest which competed against the summer gaming showcases.
Zooming in on just the top 10 titles by hours watched reveals some obvious trends that align with previously popular games on live streaming. Multiplayer shooter games saw by far the most attention, with hero shooter/MOBA Supervive and tactical shooter Delta Force being the only titles to exceed 1M hours watched (discussed more below). Games that prioritize efficiency, problem-solving, and organization also performed extraordinarily well. The best example is Factorio which came 3rd with 691K hours watched – even though the game released back in 2020, its viewership was boosted due to its base game demo and anticipation for the Factorio: Space Age expansion (which was released at the end of Steam next Fest on the 21st of October). Simulator games like Fast Food Simulator and Storage Hunter Simulator also fall under this efficiency-first subgenre.
Supervive Demo Takes Off with Clever Marketing Campaign
Supervive took out the most watched demo from Steam Next Fest with 1.9M hours watched – that’s roughly 25% of the top 100 demos’ combined viewership (as defined above). The game has been hyped for a long time thanks to a clever long-term marketing plan by the game’s publisher Theorycraft – a team of ex-League of Legends developers. For months now, select streamers have been invited to participate in closed betas to nurture their fondness for the game. Then, in the lead-up to Steam Next Fest, Theorycraft posted Supervive ads to the notoriously critical platform Reddit to ensure they wouldn’t face any surprise backlash upon the demo’s release. Thanks to massive hours watched from big-name streamers like Caedrel (179K), Emiru (104K), and loltyler1 (82K), Supervive “won” Steam Next Fest on live streaming.
Delta Force Supported by Publishing Titan Tencent
Delta Force gave Supervive a run for its money however, pulling in an equally impressive 1.6M hours watched. Publisher TiMi Studio Group is a subsidiary of Tencent, which means Delta Force has received overwhelming financial support for both its development and marketing (helping to explain the impressive viewership). Additionally, Delta Force is F2P which helped the game gain traction among a greater volume of streamers. DrDisRespect brought in by far the highest viewership for the tactical shooter title with 141K hours watched.
Delta Force also represents another trend among the top demos at this most recent edition of Steam Next Fest: Chinese publishers were behind 5 of the top 10 most wishlisted games based on Steam Next Fest demos, including Strinova, POPUCOM, Sultan’s Game, Card Quest, and Delta Force itself. Chinese publishers are having a massive impact on global streaming popularity, with prestige Chinese-published titles like Black Myth: Wukong and Genshin Impact dominating live-streaming platforms this year.
Fast Food Simulator – The Next Hit Simulator Game?
We’ve gone in-depth on the demand for Simulator games on live streaming when Supermarket Simulator took off among streamers. This trend seems to be going strong, with Fast Food Simulator generating 506K hours watched. There’s a serious risk of the subgenre heading towards burnout, with titles like TCG Card Shop Simulator and Storage Hunter Simulator also drawing attention in recent weeks. By the time Fast Food Simulator actually releases, we’ll see if streamers are still getting bang for their buck by covering the game. For now, auronplay and ElMariana are supporting the title with 111K and 47K hours watched, respectively.
Rivals of Aether II Brings Platform Fighters into the Spotlight
Platform fighter Rivals of Aether II made its mark with 467K hours watched during Steam Next Fest. This performance is particularly impressive given not only the crowded fighting game space on live streaming, but also direct competition from other platform fighters like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and MultiVersus. While these other titles might have more recognizable characters and big-name IP to draw on, Rivals of Aether II has found its place by appealing to the hardcore fighting game community who have long clamored for a competitive-focused title with deep gameplay mechanics and strategy (akin to Super Smash Bros. Melee). Ludwig helped to support the game with 30K hours watched generated from just 2.5 hours streaming the title.
Strinova Blends Tactical Shooter Gameplay with Anime Aesthetics
As the second tactical shooter we’re looking at here, Strinova takes a very different approach aesthetically to Delta Force and other tactical shooters like Rainbow Six Siege. Strinova’s anime skin was an incredibly popular hook, helping the game bring in 402K hours watched. The concern is that this aesthetic might just end up being a gimmick: Strinova will have to prove that it has the complex strategy and weapon options necessary to make it a viable tactical shooter among enthusiasts. For now, PaulinhoLOKObr and Shylily provided the most support to the title with 28K and 25K hours watched, respectively.
These are just five of the many demos that streamers tried out from this most recent edition of Steam Next Fest. It’s worth noting that many games with high concurrent player counts like Sultan’s Game and Gladio Mori didn’t make their way onto the top 10 most watched titles, but they also offer promise for more viewership when the full games release – especially without so many other demons to compete with. Stream Hatchet will be watching to see how demo success translates into viewership upon these games’ full release in the coming months.
To keep up to date with the latest big events on live-streaming platforms, follow Stream Hatchet:
