Chinese-speaking gamers dominate Steam's userbase in February

Following the latest Steam Hardware and Software Survey, it's clear that Chinese-speaking users have significantly adopted the platform. Last month, users who prefer Simplified Chinese comprised a staggering 50% of Steam’s entire userbase, marking an increase of 20.88% compared to previous figures.

The details:

• The rise in Chinese players on Steam coincides with the Chinese New Year holidays, a period known for boosting online gaming activity, according to Automaton. This year's increase was particularly notable, far surpassing last year's rise of 7.26%. English speakers held the next largest share, making up nearly 24% of the userbase, with similar seasonal spikes during the Christmas period.
• The surge in Chinese users can partly be attributed to the success of titles like Black Myth: Wukong by Game Science, which, despite a drop in active players, remains a major success story on Steam with one of the highest concurrent player counts ever recorded on the platform. The demo for Mecha Break, a new title from Chinese developer Amazing Seasun Games, also made a significant impact during Steam Next Fest, attracting over 300,000 peak players.
• However, this success comes amidst increasing political tensions between China and the US, affecting the gaming industry. Despite the success of Marvel Rivals, NetEase has faced layoffs within its US team, and at the start of the year, Chinese conglomerate Tencent was labeled a military company by the US, which led to threats of legal action from Tencent.

Other gaming news:

• Sega has confirmed that following a successful year with seven new games, the company will now take a step back and invest resources in the studios behind Sonic, Persona, and Like a Dragon.
• Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann has now stated that fans should not "bet on there being more" from the franchise.