Twitter has released its end-of-year ‘Gaming Insights‘ report, which shows that users on the social media platform helped to send over 2 billion gaming-related tweets, a first for Twitter. Based on the data Twitter collected, gaming tweets were up 75% from 2019, with an increase of 49% in unique authors.
In 2020, ‘Gaming’ became the sixth most followed topic on Twitter. Given that throughout the pandemic, many people found comfort in picking up a game on their console or PC, discussions revolving around some of the biggest games were expected to follow.
According to Cam Gordon, Twitter Canada’s Head of Communications, the top 10 most-tweeted-about games in Canada were as followed:
When looking at the most-tweeted-about games globally, there are some notable differences. However, Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons maintains the number one spot. This trend has held strong ever since April 2020, the month after the game released on Nintendo Switch.
Despite the pandemic, 2020 saw the video game industry celebrate large-scale events, albeit in a virtual setting. It was during these events and showcases that publishers were able to announce new games and hardware, including the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
The five most-tweeted-about gaming events in Canada were:
When looking beyond Canada, there were only minor differences. Tokyo Game Show 2020 and Niconico Net Chokaigi 2020 were both very popular in international regions, making the global top 5 list.
Additionally, a breakdown of the top esports teams discussed on Twitter in Canada showed the following:
Comparing global insights, the top 10 esports teams were:
Although there were plenty of gaming-related tweets coming from Canadian users, Canada did not end up on the list of countries that tweeted about gaming the most in 2020. Japan took the number one spot with the US following in second.
It will be interesting to see how 2021 fairs as new games continue to release. We’re nearing the anniversary of Animal Crossing: New Horizons so to see whether it will continue to dominate the discourse on Twitter after a year on the market will be something to note in the future.
