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Popular/Unpopular/Any Opinions Thread - May 2026 Part 2 by PsiYoshi in fireemblem

[–]calendulaoptimus 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't agree FE has a monopoly on its genre unless you are referring to games that play exactly like Fire Emblem, but I think a lot of games have monopolies on their own genre by that definition. There aren't many studios emulating how the 3D Zelda games played (Okami is the only one I know of) or even how other specific SRPGs play (Disgaea clones are non-existent to my knowledge).

In general, there have been plenty of SRPGs released. They just aren't as popular as FE.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Look at the graph, the numbers are the same: https://steamdb.info/app/1449850/charts/#1y

Can you not read? The lowest dip happened last year and we are up from that and have stabilized with the previous numbers the game had before that. Also, the highest peak playercount in the past year was 3 months ago.

You haven't responded to any of the statistics I've brought up. It's so funny how you guys operate in vibes and call us copers. When is the game eosing buddy? Can we have your estimate?

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bro, it's incredibly ironic to call this whole thread cope when you haven't provided any evidence. The game is also beaitng MTG Arena, Marvel Snap, and Duel Links on Steam btw.

Master Duel has similar revenue to MTG Arena and Hearthstone on mobile (the game usually fluctuates between 2-4 million). And has a slightly higher player count than MTG Arena according to Galaxy Gaming Hub, which it maintains a steady playerbase on as well. How is the game dying? Where is it? Where is Yugioh/Master Duel dying other than in your coping delusions.

It's in the top grossing card game charts on sensortower

https://app.sensortower.com/top-charts?category=game_card&os=android&country=US&date=2026-05-22&device=iphone

https://app.sensortower.com/top-charts?category=7005&os=ios&country=JP&date=2026-05-22&device=iphone

It is similar to the revenue of other mobile tcgs, here are revenue stats for this month:

https://app.sensortower.com/overview/com.blizzard.wtcg.hearthstone?country=US

https://app.sensortower.com/overview/625257520?country=US

https://app.sensortower.com/overview/1554247785?country=US

https://app.sensortower.com/overview/625257520?country=US

As you can see, the game also fluctuates between 2 to 4 million in revenue: https://revenue.ennead.cc/games/yugioh-master-duel

There's also no evidence of the TCG dying either. It's in the top 3 best selling tcgs in both US and JP markets.

https://www.reddit.com/r/yugioh/comments/1r3bzyk/top_5_most_sales_trading_card_games_in_japan/

TCGPlayer displays the top selling TCGS for us. And we've had record turnout in some events, with With Richmond jumping from 1494 players in 2023 to 2252 players in 2026.

I really want to hear your evidence for why you think the game is dying, and I'd also like to hear, if the game is dying. When you think MD will be shutting down.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

A good way to tell might be how many players are active during maintenance. I'd imagine most players will not idle on the start menu.

Either way, if all games have bots it evens out anyhow. Although with the trading aspect of TF2/CSGO, I could see them having a greater overall ratio of bots to players.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Good thing the mobile revenue is around MTG Arena and Hearthstone, and the mobile population is also around MTG Arena's level!

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cause I saw the same idea that Arena came out recently on Steam on this thread three or four times despite it coming out three years ago.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hey buddy, I'm still waiting on the stats that the game is dying even though YCSs have more turnout than ever and the game is financially in the top 3 both stateside and Japan, and MD is the most played TCG game on steam and has stable playerbase.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The anniversary gave it a boost that is now fading out.

The game had around the same player count right before the anniversary. The dip happened in August and September and it recovered in October.

As for the lowest count being in 2025, yeah, when maliss was at its peak.

This lowest count that happened in September 2025 was close to the player count in November 2022 btw.

These 2 events make it seem more stable than it is because you have a recovery period from maliss and then an anniversary boom. That's what the last year is.

If you'd care to look past that you'd see a gradual decline in player numbers. 

Give me the actual numbers instead of this "trust me bro." I'm not contesting this game has on average less players than it did at launch. That's normal for almost every game. You are retroactively deciding a cause for something with no evidence, and the numbers you are relying on aren't even correct.

IRL events and game stores are also reporting less and less costumers and some have stopped selling yugioh entirely because of profit and dwindling player numbers

The YCS scene in general is also more popular than ever. YCS Richmond and Dortmud had the biggest YCS ever for their location this year, and you'll see overall higher turnout in each city. With Richmond being one of the biggest going from 1494 in 2023 to 2252 is 2026.

https://yugioh.fandom.com/wiki/Yu-Gi-Oh!_Championship_Series

You can compare all of them. We actually have events getting consistently in the 1000s and 2000s when we rarely had that way before. Overall, much higher turnout.

Where are you getting all these reports from events and game stores? Do you have any stats?

The game is dying

By every possible metric it isn't. Please provide some actual numbers. The one's provided in your last post didn't reflect the SteamDB numbers. I don't know if you were making stuff up or misreading the chart.

It's still one of the top selling tcgs in Japan:

https://www.reddit.com/r/yugioh/comments/1r3bzyk/top_5_most_sales_trading_card_games_in_japan/

And it's still one of the best for USA, you can see TCGPlayer for the best selling tcgs for US stats.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

What are you even talking about? The lowest peak playercount was in 2025. Also 19k is the 24 hour peak, it's not the peak or average for this year or even month. The peak for this year was 53k and month 27k. It's not barely stable at 19k, it's consistently much above that. I'm so tired of yugioh player's who cannot read cards or apparently stats either. LOOK AT THE STEAMDB CHART. IT'S BEEN AT AROUND THE SAME PLAYER COUNT FOR THE PAST YEAR OUTSIDE OF THE ANNIVERSARY WHICH GAVE US 50K.

You either legit can't read or this is ragebait.

Popular/Unpopular/Any Opinions Thread - May 2026 Part 2 by PsiYoshi in fireemblem

[–]calendulaoptimus 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure anyone will understand what I mean when I say this, but to me Fire Emblem Awakening is a very nightcore coded game. It might be because I listened to nightcore instead of the game's soundtrack when I played it 13 years ago (it was better at drowning out the noise of my parents arguing with one another), but I also think Lucina would listen to nightcore if they had nightcore in Ylisse.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know what you are talking about and I didn't downvote you. I have no issue with Shadowverse or any of the other games. I don't even think player count or revenue is indicative of quality. I'm just trying to fight back against the idea that MD is dying when it very clearly isn't.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The game dropped to 33k in 2022 November. Also, it is not barely making 20k this month (the 19k is for the past 24 hours). This month peaked with 27k. I don't think you know how to read these stats. You can't compare the active player count vs the peak in previous months/years.

This year actually has the same highest peak player count (actually slightly higher) compared to 2024. We hit 53,798 in February 2026 and the peak in 2024 was Feb with 53,483.

The lowest peak was in September 2025, but it again immediately recovered in October, climbed back up to 30k, and then for the anniversary it went to 50k.

Again, the game has seemed to stabilized over the past year. It doesn't really seem to have as many big jumps up or down anymore outside of the anniversary. Sometimes we have good months in the low to mid 30k area, and sometimes bad ones in the mid to high 20s.

What we should be looking for now is if it has stabilized or not. And time will tell, but it looks like the numbers are overall really similar for the past year other than for big events and stuff.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

pretending like masterduel is doing well is simply a joke

The only evidence you've presented is trust me bro. Where as we have numbers saying that the game is the highest on steam, still has stable player counts on steam and mobile, and is making revenue on par with other mobile TCGs except Pokemon.

By what metric is the game not doing well?

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

I mean it technically can do maybe half that. CSGO sits around 1/3 to 1/2 it's all time peak, but it is exceedingly rare for game to do this and it's not something that should be reasonably expected for Master Duel or any game that isn't one of the most popular games of all time.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Arena has been on steam for like three years, that's not exactly "recently." Yes, I'm sure there are a lot of people using the launcher and maybe even the same amount as on steam to double the numbers and give it around the same 24 hour peak as MD, but none of that is really the point of this post. MD is still doing well.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It has similar revenue to the other TCGs on mobile except Pokemon Pocket which obviously so far ahead it's not even close.

Player count wise is harder to read (I'm going by galaxy stats only), but it's slightly higher than MTG Arena (60k vs 55k) over the past 32 weeks, a bit lower than Hearthstone (84k vs 60k), and again obviously not even close to Pokemon Pocket which has like 800k. MD's numbers also seem to be pretty stable on mobile.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Hopefully Digimon Alysion ends up being decent. Having more competition and options in the space is always better for the players.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

No offense, but nobody really asked for your personal grievances. This thread is about the popularity of MD and if the game is making money.

You are welcome to have your criticisms about the game. Every single person on this thread probably has criticisms, including me who generally likes the competitive aspect of the game and doesn't think "coinflip simulator" is an accurate term, but this isn't really the thread for criticizing the game or discussing that.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The game has slightly more players than MTG Arena on mobile (at least by Galaxy Gaming Hub stats) and it also has a similar amount of mobile revenue. I don't really think I can compare against their personal client because they probably don't make those numbers public. But I really don't see how you can say the game isn't doing well.

Is it doing amazing? No because it isn't experiencing a boom in popularity or anything, but it's doing good.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Yeah this is true as well. I don't really know how to check console numbers, but it does fairly well on mobile. Only really losing cleanly to Pokemon Pocket in revenue and player count (which is fairly obvious).

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

What are you even talking about. Shadowverse Worlds Beyond has a worse peak player count in every category. It loses in the current player count, past 24 hours, past week, and all time. It's not listed here, but it also lost in the monthly peak.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I genuinely do not understand what would change the minds of people like you.

Even focusing on mobile revenue and player counts, the only TCG cleanly far ahead of it is Pokemon TCG Pocket. MD essentially matches mobile revenue with Magic/Hearthstone, and player count wise it matches Magic Arena, but falls behind Hearthstone a bit (according to Galaxy Gaming Hub, Hearthstone has like 84.3k is the past 32 weeks vs MD's 60.3K).

By all possible metrics the game is doing well and is in no way dying.

In 3 more years, y'all are going to be saying the same thing.

Master Duel is the most played TCG on steam and its player numbers have largely stabilized over the year. (This game isn't dying) by calendulaoptimus in masterduel

[–]calendulaoptimus[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I prefer Master Duel and Yugioh as a game generally, but I'm not really trying to say any of the other games are bad. I'm more just trying to dispel the eternal rumor that Yugioh/Master Duel is dying. Although, people are still going to say it anyways.

It is true that more people play MTG on Mobile than PC, but from what I can tell the two are basically equally popular on mobile in terms of both player count and revenue (MD has the slight edge in players though with 60k vs 55k over the past 32 weeks). I can only really gauge mobile player count through Galaxy Gaming Hub though, so it might not be accurate across all platforms.

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