As part of Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #6 Coffee Stain Publishing CEO Albert Säfström discussed Valheim and surprise hits during the pandemic.

In order for a game to go viral, Säfström said there were five virality factors

• being a great game,
• fun to watch,
• low barrier to entry,
• generate stories and have
• a long play-time

For example, a low barrier to entry may help as the game becomes more accessible to a wider audience.

However, Animal Crossing: New Horizons performed well despite having a $60 price tag. It went on to sell 31 million copies, having been released in March 2020.

It does tick three virality factors, as it is a great game with a long play-time that generates stories.

Another game that blew up worldwide was Fall Guys Ultimate Knockout which entered the market at $20, though it was initially free on PlayStation via PS Plus.

Due to those factors, it would be fair to say that Mediatonic's title had a low barrier to entry, and it is a great game that can be fun to watch.

One of us

Among Us is another pandemic hit, though it was first released in 2018, not surging in popularity until last year.

The game is free-to-play on mobile and only costs $5 on PC. InnerSloth also brought the game to Nintendo Switch earlier this year for a small price too.

The social deduction title ticks four virality factors, being a great game with a low barrier to entry. It also generates stories and is fun to watch, which is part of what caused its popularity to skyrocket in 2020.

Meanwhile, Valheim costs $20 on PC and only takes up 1GB of data.

It ticked all boxes, save for being fun to watch as it may not reach the heights of other games mentioned in this talk.

"We are thinking of these factors for what makes a game go viral. We believe it is crucial to have a great game," explained Säfström when discussing the priorities of virality factors to Coffee Stain Publishing.

PGC Digital #6 will run from April 19th to April 23rd. To keep up to date with all of our coverage, check out the roundups here. There's still time to sign up - to find out more and book a ticket, head to the website.