The recently released Content Warning has been in the news for how it has been built and the activities it encourages its players to participate in. These include filming scary content, gaining views, and upgrading their fame and fortune to progress in the storyline.
The co-op horror game has taken over social media because of how it is set up and the fact that it is a horror game, a genre that almost always gets people talking, for whatever reasons. For those still wondering, this Landfall Studio offering has a simple premise: users film their friends in scary situations and post these clips on a platform called SpookTube in the hopes of going viral.
During its first 24 hours, when it was available for free, Content Warning was downloaded by over 6.2M Steam users. As per SteamDB, the game reached a peak of 204.4K players on April 3, with a game where the objective was to go viral ironically going viral itself across all corners of the internet.
What helped it reach a large number of players is the fact that the developer released the game for free over its first 24 hours on Steam. With the game currently priced at $7.99 on the platform, many did the smart thing by downloading it when it was available for nothing, helping drive up traffic. Of course, the fact that it is an enjoyable experience has only added to its appeal so far.
Such has been the reception for Content Warning that it has hit the top eleven on the most watched and most popular games list between April 1 and April 4 on Twitch. This has put it over titles like EA Sports FC 24, Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, and Minecraft on the latter leaderboard, showing just how well-received it has been.
What has helped this video game reach this level of fame so quickly is the caliber of streamers playing it since its launch. The likes of Alanzoka, Rubius, xQc, and Tumblurr figure among the channels to have most played this game, coming near the top of tables by the above two metrics.
When it comes to peaks of its viewership numbers so far on Twitch, April 3 has been the most successful day. Content Warning hit 1.1M Hours Watched and 134.3K Peak Viewers on this day, with interest among players and audiences shooting up after seeing their favorite content creators give it a shot and liking it a lot.
Gamers seem to be enjoying the challenge of the game, where two to four players are challenged by friends to explore creepy locales, capture something terrifying on camera, and accumulate views on social media. What makes it exciting is the relatability it displays, with many in the real world more or less adopting such an adventure stance, thus reflecting the game's tagline: "Get famous or die trying!"
Most watched games on Twitch between April 1 and 4
| Ranking
|
Game name
|
Hours Watched figure
|
|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Grand Theft Auto V
|
20 061 231 HW
|
|
2
|
League of Legends
|
12 892 533 HW
|
|
3
|
Valorant
|
10 427 469 HW
|
|
4
|
Counter-Strike
|
6 411 968 HW
|
|
5
|
Fortnite
|
6 293 195 HW
|
|
6
|
Dota 2
|
6 103 693 HW
|
|
7
|
Call of Duty: Warzone
|
5 776 315 HW
|
|
8
|
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
|
3 786 825 HW
|
|
9
|
Path of Exile
|
3 544 653 HW
|
|
10
|
Apex Legends
|
3 418 434 HW
|
|
11
|
Content Warning
|
2 908 430 HW
|
|
12
|
Teamfight Tactics
|
2 895 729 HW
|
|
13
|
EA Sports FC 24
|
2 810 823 HW
|
|
14
|
World of Warcraft
|
2 591 923 HW
|
| 15 | Minecraft
|
2 407 122 HW
|
In fact, Landfall Studio has described the gameplay and benefits as follows:
"Every run lasts for three days, and the more scary content you capture, the more viral you become. The ad revenue from your SpookTube videos allows you to upgrade your equipment for better filming and survival in the Old World. If your team gathers enough views within three days, you can continue your SpookTube Career and live a life of fame and fortune!"
Compared to other recent releases, including Dragon’s Dogma II, HELLDIVERS™ 2, Tekken 8, Content Warning has done a fine job on the purple platform. Only Capcom's highly-anticipated action RPG was able to outperform this title by a distance in the first week, with the rest either posting similar or lower stats despite more visibility and hype leading up to launch day.
What is interesting about Content Warning is that many are calling it the 'Lethal Company killer.' For those not in the know, the latter is a co-op survival horror title about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company. It was released last October and ended as one of the most popular games on Steam for some time, joining the top 20 most watched and popular games standings on Twitch over its first five weeks.
It even won awards at two prestigious shows, clinching the Better With Friends gong at The Steam Awards 2024 and claiming The Streamer Awards 2024's Stream Game of the Year trophy. Like Content Warning, its popularity can be attributed to high social media traction, while its gameplay is somewhat similar to another horror game made famous by content creators, Phasmophobia.
It’s been a busy first three months so far in the gaming industry, be it with all the esports events happening or when it comes to game releases and showcases. With the summer months almost here, fans can expect more of the latter, with video game exhibitions and launches set to dominate the news over the next few months. Until then, they can attempt to go viral and become famous in Content Warning, perhaps even living out their dreams of getting their 15 minutes of fame.
