Krafton's newest game, inZOI, has made headlines for numerous reasons since its early access release on March 28. One of the most discussed aspects of this initial success has been the large female player base it has attracted, including in the livestreaming community.
Coined by many as a Sims competitor, potentially even a Sims killer, this casual adventure simulation offering has so far received very positive reviews on Steam. Much of this positive feedback has come from females, who have incredibly formed the bulk of inZOI's player base over the first few weeks of its existence.
It is not often that a game comes around and finds an equal footing among male and female audiences and players. Electronic Arts' The Sims found this sweet spot pretty early and continues to be one of the most played games among women gamers and content creators. In fact, by most accounts, the female ratio for video games in this series is higher as well.
The game’s customisable characters and easy-to-use tools have attracted a massive player base, including many female gamers. What has seemingly caught the attention of the fairer sex is that they can live the life of their dreams and experience the different emotions of life created by its deep and detailed simulation.
This extends to livestreaming as well, where a look at inZOI's distribution by channel type on Twitch shows that over 54% of those playing and broadcasting it are women. It is not common for this to happen to any title or category on the purple platform, especially for those of the non-gaming vintage.
Considering a cutoff of these livestreams having at least 100 Average Viewers (AV), this puts inZOI among the top names compared to some of the most watched games in Q1 2025. It outperformed prominent titles like League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Rocket League, and Valorant in female participation by at least 47%.
InZOI's early success has also created records for its developer. It sold over a million copies within a week of its early access release, as announced by Krafton, making it the fastest title to reach this sales milestone for a game published by the South Korean megacorp.
Among the top streamers to have given this game loads of attention are MissMikkaa, Koseki Bijou Ch., Enna "哈耿" Wei, and CodeMiko. These women have ranked among the simulator's most-watched channels since March 28, and their content is a major reason for the positive feedback it has received.
What this does show is that the right game with the right tools can make a big difference when it comes to attracting a healthy female player base. In an industry that is as male-dominated as video gaming, it is hard enough for others to find a title they love or want to revisit over and over.
There might not seem to be any clear pattern as to what causes a spike in interest among females when looking at a particular game. However, what can be said is that if the story and gameplay are good enough, or if more women play a crucial role in the story, sometimes even as protagonists or main-adjacent characters, females will be more inclined to give it a go.
Even a cursory look at the reviews written for inZOI by various online outlets shows the involvement of a lot more women. This may just seem like a coincidence, but many of these journalists have played/continue to play video games themselves, with quite a few of them also coming from a Sims vintage.
There is no guarantee that a game will become successful upon release, but if there is a creative and social element to it, there is an ostensibly higher chance of female players buying into the hype. And any title that can attract a more equal number of male and female (and other marginalized gender identities) players has no doubt met the modern requirement of inclusivity that has become so vital to the social and cultural fabric today.
To conclude, at a time when the involvement of fans, viewers, and sponsors in female esports is not at its best, the success of titles like inZOI shows that there is high potential in that segment. The right set of circumstances can attract healthy numbers, in terms of livestreaming numbers and the sheer number of women playing a game, and provide a major boost to the community.
It remains to be seen how long inZOI can retain this goodwill within the community (there are reports that the initial player numbers have drastically come down as April has progressed). Luckily, the title is still in early access, and with a massive name like Krafton behind the project, there is a high chance things will once again look up when the full release happens.
