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Upstream: the mobile games streaming and esports digest – June 10 2022

PocketGamer.biz and Stream Hatchet break down the monthly stats on mobile games making waves on streaming platforms and esports events

Upstream: the mobile games streaming and esports digest – June 10 2022

Each month, PocketGamer.biz and Stream Hatchet break down the impact of mobile games and esports on streaming platforms; the ebb and flow of the most popular titles including Free Fire, PUBG Mobile, and Clash Royale, and pioneering newcomers; and how they’re reaching their audience.

This month sees a slight increase in Twitch's mobile viewership and the launch of the second esport event sanctions by the International Olympic Committee, but an overall decline in viewership.

With total culminative hours watched of 204 million, mobile viewership declined by nine per cent. This is most apparently represented in declines in the top two games – Bang Bang Mobile Legends and PUBG Mobile – seeing declines of 23 and 14 per cent, respectively, and overall declines across the board.

That is, besides Free Fire and Clash Royale, which enjoyed moderate increases of 6.2 and seven per cent, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, no titles breached the top 10 most watched, although this is inspite of high-profile new releases such as the contentious Diablo Immortal and Dislyte. PocketGamer.biz wonders what must happen for a new mobile title to enter the list: perhaps Blizzard's Warcraft Arclight Rumble?

Similarly, Youtube Gaming and Facebook Gaming maintain their hold over the mobile audience. However, Twitch's audience grew two per cent from last month, to just under 13 per cent, with 26 million hours watched.

But this month's biggest influence on mobile games streaming was the 31st Southeast Asian Games, which received the lion’s share of all mobile esports hours watched this month, with 21.6 million hours – roughly two-thirds of all hours watched. The event encompassed numerous mobile titles, including Bang Bang Mobile Legends and PUBG Mobile.

Stream Hatchet also notes that the 31st Southeast Asian Games is also the second time an esports event was sanctioned "as a medaled event by the International Olympics Committee". However, overall, esports streams saw an eight per cent decline.

Editor

Former editor of PocketGamer.biz, Khai can also be found on Vice, Star Trek, and in numerous scientific journals and publications.