Video video games could also be a well-liked leisure medium all over the world, with there being some 2.7 billion gamers globally according to December 2025 Statista data, however an analyst has contextualized this recognition a bit with new findings suggesting that video video games are actually well-liked within the nation through which they’re developed.
Rhys Elliott, the pinnacle of video games market knowledge agency Alinea Analytics, shared his findings in an X post on January 29. Discussing the idea of the “hometown hero,” Elliott had surveyed his firm’s latest estimates and found that the hometown hero impact bears true throughout the video games business as nicely. Elliott cited some latest examples of video games developed in a particular nation that, though well-liked globally, have been particularly well-liked within the nation that they have been developed in.
Murderer’s Creed is one instance. Though the studio has international workplaces and the franchise is understood worldwide, these games–including Shadows–are significantly well-liked in French markets, with the collection persistently hitting the number-three spot within the “Land of the Franks.” The identical is true of Cyberpunk 2077, which additionally stays within the number-three spot on Steam’s Polish charts–studio CD Projekt Crimson is Polish. Another: South Korean studio Shift Up’s Stellar Blade, which is quantity three on the PlayStation 5 chart in South Korea.
I have been trying by way of the @alineaanalytics estimates, and I seen that gamers typically present up for video games made of their native nation.
This hometown hero impact holds for a great deal of video games, together with:
– Cyberpunk 2077: Poland stays its #3 market on Steam, years after launch… pic.twitter.com/IKUAObrBfd— Rhys Elliott (@superhys) January 29, 2026
Elliott discovered that the hometown hero impact will get extra fascinating when a sport shares the identical themes that mirror its nation of origin. Take Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, for instance. Developer Sandfall Interactive is a French studio, and Expedition 33 is a distinctly French sport deeply rooted within the nation’s arts and tradition, so the Franks present up and present out for the sport. In response to the findings, Expedition 33 sits within the number-three spot on PS5 (11% of the viewers) and Steam (7% of the viewers). The identical is true of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, which is developed by Czech developer Warhorse Studios and attracted 6% of the PS5 viewers and 4% of the Steam viewers, putting it within the number-four spot in Czechia.
And you may’t neglect about Black Delusion: Wukong. Developed by the Chinese language studio Sport Science, 56% of the Steam viewers and 39% of the PS5 viewers actually got here by way of for it within the Individuals’s Republic of China.
There are some elements that contribute to this hometown hero impact, in response to Elliott, together with protection from native media and influences, the bodily presence of those studios of their house nation, authentic scripting, and acquainted accents. However on the finish of the day, if you already know one thing was made in your hometown, you are greater than more likely to assist it along with your complete coronary heart. Except you hate the place you come from, in fact.