Top Five Most Influential Games Of 2020

2020 has been a wild year, especially in terms of gaming and esports. With massive lockdown efforts in effect, more people than ever have been at home. This has given the public plenty of time to get into video games and esports. Both industries have experienced unprecedented growth over the past few months- with total revenue in the esports industry nearly doubling since 2019.

With so many people at home, esports and gaming in general were bound to see a spike in growth. However, no one was expecting the leaps and bounds that gaming would soar to in 2020. In a year when nearly every other industry was struggling, gaming flourished. Sports channels, for the first time in history, began showing esports in the place of traditional sports. This brought games like FIFA 20, NFL 20, and NBA 2k20 to more people than ever before.

These television airings gave viewers the opportunity to experience their favourite in a completely new way. No longer were esports relegated to the internet - they finally gained mainstream appeal. This showed in the massive audience growth esports saw in 2020 - over 100 million new fans started tuning into esports in this year alone.

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This massive success created waves throughout the gaming community, as well. While esports was enjoying unprecedented growth, gaming was also. From March until now, developers were releasing hit after hit. This was huge for the gaming community, as many people took up gaming for the first time to see what all the hype was about. Game consoles and online platforms were seeing higher sales than ever before, which only paved the way to even more exciting releases.

With all the absolutely incredible developments in the world of gaming, many people are wondering what the most influential titles of the year are. We've compiled a list of five games that have made an impression on the gaming community in 2020. Whether these are updates of familiar properties or new titles entirely, it's easy to see that these games made an impact on the gaming landscape this year.

5. Fortnite

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Created in 2017 by Epic Games, Fortnite made waves in 2020 - literally. The Season 4 Splash Down release saw record attendance for both its kickoff event and Joyride Update. With the addition of both an ever-changing map and vehicles, users flocked back to Fortnite after months of waiting for Season 3 to end. Influencers and streamers that had left Fortnite to stream other games were suddenly back at it again, bringing all of their fans with them.

When fans thought 2020 couldn't get better for Fortnite - Epic Games released Season 5 in record time. Fortnite's Marvel Nexus, which is still ongoing as of the writing of this article, allowed gamers to play as their favourite Marvel characters - and even some surprising extras. Master Chief recently made an appearance in the game, which has taken the gaming world by storm.

 

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With the holidays now upon us, who knows what winter events Epic Games has in store? The one thing that's for sure is that Fortnite has grown rapidly throughout the course of the year. With the launch of its Party Royale, Fortnite was able to not only exist as a game, but also a hangout zone. Players can watch movies, concerts, and chat, in addition to the game's battle royale and creative modes.

Party Royale has seen a lot of success since its inception, from its Travis Scott Astronomical Tour to its Christopher Nolan film night. More players than ever are tuning into Fortnite for more than just gameplay, which has left many players optimistic for what Epic Games has in store in 2021.

4. Call of Duty: Warzone

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Gamers across the globe were excited when Call of Duty: Warzone dropped in March 2020. The game was a hit almost instantly, with an interesting and fun gameplay style that kept players hooked. Call of Duty: Warzone was free-to-play, making it accessible to everyone in the gaming community. The game was also massive, featuring battle royale matches with up to 150 different players.

The scale of this game and fun take on the genre kept people hooked. The ever-popular 1v1 Gulag took the internet by storm, as influencers, YouTubers, and streamers took a shot at the game's exciting new feature. The Gulag is one of the most popular elements in the game, as videos and clips of players facing off in it circulate the internet en masse to this day.

This game got so popular, in fact, that many Fortnite streamers elected to play this game while waiting for Fortnite's Splash Down and Joyride updates. Many gamers that still wanted the battle royale experience, but with different mechanics and environments switched to Call of Duty: Warzone once it started making traction. Some of those streamers are still doing primarily Call of Duty: Warzone to this day. Despite being several months old during the writing of this article, Call of Duty: Warzone is the sixth most viewed game on Twitch. The game still has incredible impact, and it will only get bigger in 2021.

3. Fall Guys

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No one saw Fall Guys coming - it's almost as if the game came out of nowhere. The indie title was quietly released by Mediatonic Studios near the end of August in 2020, when it suddenly blew up. The game reached the heights of popularity almost instantly, as it became known as a fun, fast battle royale. What most enjoyed about Fall Guys were its swathes of mini-games, which users would compete in for a chance at a Crown. Crowns could be exchanged for extra costumes, colour palletes, and more. This customisation led to many brands and game developers to crossover with Fall Guys, resulting in costumes for many popular games and franchises. These included Sonic the Hedgehog, Exit the Gungeon, and Team Fortress 2.

Fall Guys even had a wildly popular Battle of the Brands contest on Twitter, which helped the game achieve massive success. The name of the game was simple: brands had to reach the highest bid to receive their own custom skin in Fall Guys. All proceeds of the Battle of the Brands bid would be sent to Special Effect, an organisation dedicated to providing disabled kids with technology and gaming equipment. Gamers on Twitter kept a close eye on the bids as some of their favourite games dought it out for the potential to be in Fall Guys and help an incredible charity along the way. At the end, a four-person team won the Battle of the Brands. G2Esports, Ninja, AimLab, and MrBeast all teamed up to donate over $1,000,000 to Special Effect.

Besides the Battle of the Brands, Fall Guys has made other marks on internet history - from the yellow team meme to the Fallen One controversy, the game has had plenty of time in the spotlight. With the rise of other titles, Fall Guys has somewhat fallen by the wayside in the past few months, but its impact will not be forgotten. For several months, no one could go anywhere on the internet without seeing a Fall Guys meme or video - which definitely shows the scope of the game's influence.

2. Among Us

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Among Us was yet another game no one saw coming. In fact, the game had been released in 2016, to relatively little fanfare. It had a small, tight-knit fanbase that mostly interacted on Steam, existing quietly in the shadows until 2020. Without warning, the internet at large discovered the game - and the rest is history.

Now a staple in both meme and game culture, Among Us' impact is still in effect today. The game even reached mainstream audiences, its simple, exciting gameplay and nerve-wracking premise leaving people instantly hooked. Unfortunately for Fall Guys, Among Us came around just before the battle royale's second season released, which meant that most of the Fall Guys player base jumped ship to Among Us.

Once it started taking the internet by storm, Among Us stole the crown from Fall Guys, winning players hearts across the world and over. Among Us has become a household name at this point, appearing in popular culture, advertising, and more. Even non-gamers are familiar with the game, due to the many memes, ads, and influencers that have put it in the spotlight.

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Among Us became so popular that the developers scrapped plans for a second game and put all of their ideas into their flagship title. The Among Us developers are still working hard to roll out all of these new features, and players are just as interested in the game as ever. It has become more than just a game at this point- it is a symbol of popular culture and a symbol for the gaming world as a whole. It has proven to developers that hits can develop overnight, and that the gaming industry is rapidly growing to this day.

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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Released at the start of the lockdown efforts, Animal Crossing: New Horizons served as a message to the gaming community for things to come in 2020. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the first massively-popular release of the year, captivating audiences across the globe. Despite the game being released on a console that was several years old, the game still sold extraordinarily well in nearly every market.

The game sold over 22 million copies in just its first four months, outperforming against all expectations. Even the Nintendo Switch saw an increase in sales, with more people than ever rushing to the store to buy one. The Nintendo Switch was sold out in many big box retail stores, both in-person and online, for a while. Only now, with the release of the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5, have Nintendo Switch sales slowed enough for people to be able to get a hold of one again.

Besides sales, Animal Crossing: New Horizons also bonded the world together, in a time when people felt more distant than ever. People were sharing their designs, art, and clothing patterns in Animal Crossing, helping others to create exciting new worlds and cute new styles. Podcasts and talk shows, such as Animal Talking with Gary Whitta switched over to Animal Crossing, achieving massive success and a sense of community as a result.

 

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For months on end, the internet was filled with Animal Crossing pop culture crossovers, dubs, songs, and more as both serious and casual gamers gathered together to create things together. For the first time since Pokémon Go was released in 2017, the gaming community as a whole seemed to feel like a close-knit community, which brought many new people to it.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons might have waned in popularity since its release in March, but its impact is still felt today as many reminisce on their fond memories of the game. Despite its popularity having faded, many still play the game to this day, as every month brings something new to the world of Animal Crossing.

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This list of games rocked 2020, bringing gaming to new and unexpected audiences during a time when such growth was deemed impossible. With such incredible games released during such a difficult year, 2020 will definitely go down in history as one of gaming's most definitive years. This only leaves people to wonder what's in store in the year to come- and beyond.

 

Images via Nintendo, Epic Games, Activision, Mediatonic Studios, and Innersloth Studios.