{"games":[{"path":"/games/videoball/","rank":1,"slug":"videoball","title":"Videoball","urlSlug":"videoball","value":"Videoball needed either a couch group or online matchmaking liquidity. The online market did not appear liquid enough: few players and third-party coordination were reported soon after launch, undermining esport ambitions. Source: https://gameinformer.com/games/videoball/b/pc/archive/2016/08/04/game-informer-videoball-review.aspx."},{"path":"/games/rocketleague/","rank":2,"slug":"rocketLeague","title":"Rocket League","urlSlug":"rocketleague","value":"Network effects/liquidity: extremely strong: matchmaking liquidity, ranked identity, teams, trading/cosmetics culture, esports, and crossplay all compound value. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/252950/Rocket_League/; https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-rocket-league-i-tops-1-million-concurrent-players-after-free-to-play-switch."},{"path":"/games/killerqueenarcade/","rank":3,"slug":"killerQueenArcade","title":"Killer Queen Arcade","urlSlug":"killerqueenarcade","value":"Killer Queen solved liquidity by anchoring play around a physical cabinet and scheduled league nights. Scarcity became part of the ritual: players had to go to a place, meet people, and return. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/road-to-the-igf-joshua-debonis-and-nikita-mikros-i-killer-queen-i-; https://killerqueenarcade.com/; https://bumblebeargames.com/products/killer-queen."},{"path":"/games/nidhogg/","rank":4,"slug":"nidhogg","title":"Nidhogg","urlSlug":"nidhogg","value":"Network effects/liquidity: primarily local-player network effects; online population was less central than same-room rivalry and event play. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/94400/Nidhogg/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/94400/Nidhogg/."},{"path":"/games/ftlfasterthanlight/","rank":5,"slug":"ftlFasterThanLight","title":"FTL: Faster Than Light","urlSlug":"ftlfasterthanlight","value":"FTL has no multiplayer liquidity or marketplace network effect; the durable loop is single-player replayability plus\nexternal community knowledge sharing. The network effect is cultural rather than mechanical: run stories, ship unlock\ndiscussions, mods, strategy guides, and roguelite canon status continue to surface the game. Sources:\nhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/212680/FTL_Faster_Than_Light/;\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/kickstarter-contests-bring-i-ftl-i-to-life."},{"path":"/games/rounds/","rank":6,"slug":"rounds","title":"ROUNDS","urlSlug":"rounds","value":"Network effects/liquidity: friend-pair liquidity matters more than mass matchmaking; the game can survive as a two-person ritual. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557740/ROUNDS/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557740/ROUNDS/."},{"path":"/games/intothebreach/","rank":7,"slug":"intoTheBreach","title":"Into the Breach","urlSlug":"intothebreach","value":"Into the Breach has no multiplayer network effect; its network value comes from shared strategies, squad rankings,\nchallenge talk, and replay stories. Its single-player design makes liquidity irrelevant, which protects the game from\npopulation decay. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/590380/Into_the_Breach/;\nhttps://subsetgames.com/itb.html."},{"path":"/games/towerfallascension/","rank":8,"slug":"towerFallAscension","title":"TowerFall Ascension","urlSlug":"towerfallascension","value":"Network effects/liquidity: local-room network effects dominate: one owner can create a four-player adoption moment if controllers are present. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/251470/TowerFall_Ascension/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/251470/TowerFall_Ascension/."},{"path":"/games/duckgame/","rank":9,"slug":"duckGame","title":"Duck Game","urlSlug":"duckgame","value":"Network effects/liquidity: friend-group and lobby liquidity matter, but the game also works locally with a single purchaser and controllers. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/312530/Duck_Game/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/312530/Duck_Game/."},{"path":"/games/limbo/","rank":10,"slug":"limbo","title":"LIMBO","urlSlug":"limbo","value":"LIMBO has no gameplay network effect; no multiplayer population is needed. Its network effect is interpretive culture:\nplayers debate the ending, recommend it as an art-game milestone, and use its silhouette aesthetic as a reference\npoint for later indie visual design. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/hanging-in-limbo;\nhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/48000/LIMBO/."},{"path":"/games/inside/","rank":11,"slug":"inside","title":"INSIDE","urlSlug":"inside","value":"INSIDE has no gameplay network effect; the product is a self-contained single-player experience. Its cultural network\neffect comes from spoilers, ending interpretation, video essays, art/technical talks, and the studio's continued\nprestige. Sources: https://blog.playdead.com/articles/inside_presentations/inside_publications.html;\nhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/304430/INSIDE/."},{"path":"/games/ultimatechickenhorse/","rank":12,"slug":"ultimateChickenHorse","title":"Ultimate Chicken Horse","urlSlug":"ultimatechickenhorse","value":"Network effects/liquidity: friend-group network effects are strong; the game is more valuable with people who can laugh at sabotage together. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/386940/Ultimate_Chicken_Horse/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/386940/Ultimate_Chicken_Horse/."},{"path":"/games/lethalleagueblaze/","rank":13,"slug":"lethalLeagueBlaze","title":"Lethal League Blaze","urlSlug":"lethalleagueblaze","value":"Network effects/liquidity: versus liquidity and local rivals matter, but the game has enough style/single-player content to avoid being pure matchmaking dependency. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/553310/Lethal_League_Blaze/; https://team-reptile.com/author/rpt_dion/."},{"path":"/games/planetoflana/","rank":14,"slug":"planetOfLana","title":"Planet of Lana","urlSlug":"planetoflana","value":"Planet of Lana has no gameplay liquidity requirement; it is a single-player cinematic adventure. Its network effect is\naesthetic and emotional: screenshots, companion affection, recommendations, and Game Pass discovery helped spread\nawareness without needing a multiplayer population. Sources:\nhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/1608230/Planet_of_Lana/; https://www.planetoflana.com/;\nhttps://www.vgchartz.com/article/465495/planet-of-lana-tops-1-million-players/."},{"path":"/games/killerqueenblack/","rank":15,"slug":"killerQueenBlack","title":"Killer Queen Black","urlSlug":"killerqueenblack","value":"Network effects/liquidity: very high liquidity need: an 8-player team game is vulnerable if concurrent population falls. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/663670/Killer_Queen_Black/; https://delistedgames.com/killer-queen-black-delisted-online-play-shuts-down-november-30th/."},{"path":"/games/brawlhalla/","rank":16,"slug":"brawlhalla","title":"Brawlhalla","urlSlug":"brawlhalla","value":"Network effects/liquidity: extremely strong: crossplay matchmaking, ranked ladders, esports, friend groups, and cosmetic identity compound with population. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/291550/Brawlhalla/; https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/MvVxfuQT6SZ5XnlJY8Pgp/brawlhalla-celebrates-100-million-lifetime-players-with-ingame-event."},{"path":"/games/amongus/","rank":17,"slug":"amongUs","title":"Among Us","urlSlug":"amongus","value":"Network effects/liquidity: extremely high: the product becomes better with friends, voice, memes, lobbies, and creators. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/945360/Among_Us/; https://www.shacknews.com/article/120605/among-us-hit-3-million-concurrent-players-over-the-weekend-says-innersloth."},{"path":"/games/repo/","rank":18,"slug":"repo","title":"R.E.P.O.","urlSlug":"repo","value":"Network effects/liquidity: very strong friend-group network effects: the game is more valuable when played and watched socially. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3241660/REPO/; https://newzoo.com/resources/blog/r-e-p-o-another-early-access-success."},{"path":"/games/peak/","rank":19,"slug":"peak","title":"PEAK","urlSlug":"peak","value":"Network effects/liquidity: strong friend-group network effects; each purchaser can recruit a climbing party. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3527290/PEAK/; https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/peak-has-surpassed-4-5m-sales-within-a-month."},{"path":"/games/mecchachameleon/","rank":20,"slug":"mecchaChameleon","title":"MECCHA CHAMELEON","urlSlug":"mecchachameleon","value":"Network effects/liquidity: high network effects through public lobbies, social deception, streamer spectators, and friend recruitment. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4704690/MECCHA_CHAMELEON/; https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/4704690/view/710026912607505791."},{"path":"/games/balatro/","rank":21,"slug":"balatro","title":"Balatro","urlSlug":"balatro","value":"Network effects/liquidity: single-player, so it does not need matchmaking liquidity; social compounding happens through screenshots, builds, mods, and recommendations. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/; https://www.playstack.com/news/balatro-5-million-copies-sold/."},{"path":"/games/vampiresurvivors/","rank":22,"slug":"vampireSurvivors","title":"Vampire Survivors","urlSlug":"vampiresurvivors","value":"Network effects/liquidity: mostly single-player, so no liquidity need; social spread is via recommendations, screenshots, and genre imitation. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680/Vampire_Survivors/; https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/aug/04/baftas-video-game-vampire-survivors-luca-galante."},{"path":"/games/slaythespire/","rank":23,"slug":"slayTheSpire","title":"Slay the Spire","urlSlug":"slaythespire","value":"Network effects/liquidity: single-player, but social metagame, streamability, tier lists, seeds, and strategy discussion create indirect network effects. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/; https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/after-a-worrisome-start-i-slay-the-spire-i-has-sold-more-than-1-5-million-copies."},{"path":"/games/hades/","rank":24,"slug":"hades","title":"Hades","urlSlug":"hades","value":"Network effects/liquidity: single-player, but fandom, builds, speedrunning, art, music, characters, and discourse create powerful indirect networks. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/; https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-hades-i-has-sold-over-1-million-copies-in-under-two-years."},{"path":"/games/noita/","rank":25,"slug":"noita","title":"Noita","urlSlug":"noita","value":"Network effects/liquidity: mostly single-player; indirect network comes from secrets, wikis, mods, clips, and “look what happened” stories. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/881100/Noita/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/881100/Noita/."},{"path":"/games/laserleague/","rank":26,"slug":"laserLeague","title":"Laser League / Laser League: World Arena","urlSlug":"laserleague","value":"Network effects/liquidity: very high dependence on competitive player liquidity; once the pool thins, the value proposition collapses. This field separates games that can compound alone from games that require a live pool of friends, rivals, spectators, or matchmaking population. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/570460/Laser_League_World_Arena/; https://steamcommunity.com/games/570460/announcements/detail/6169409105099688067."}],"group":"market","kind":"dimension","label":"Network effects and liquidity","paths":{"html":"/dimensions/networkeffectsandliquidity/","json":"/dimensions/networkeffectsandliquidity/index.json"},"presets":["business"],"rank":22,"schemaVersion":1,"slug":"networkEffectsAndLiquidity","urlSlug":"networkeffectsandliquidity"}