Metal Gear Rising Gains Popularity Thanks To Memes

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance reached its peak popularity nine years after its initial launch. The sudden interest in this game comes as various memes featuring some of its characters are appearing online. 

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a 2013 action hack-and-slash released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows. It is a spin-off in the Metal Gear series, set four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The game follows the story of Raiden, a cyborg fighting against the terrorist group Desperado Enforcement LLC.

Unlike the other games in the series, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance relies more on sword-fighting combat than stealth and ranged fights. While the game received positive feedback on its release nine years ago, it is now reaching its peak in activity across all platforms.

This sudden rise in popularity comes as several memes templates featuring characters from the game went viral. In 2021, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance counted between 300 and 800 concurrent players on average. This number exploded in January 2022, reaching an average of over 2,000 concurrent players. The game is also experiencing the biggest peak in achievement activity across all platforms since 2018.

The memes brought attention back to Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Players are rediscovering the game, praising its sword gameplay and a decent story. Popular streamers also announced their intention of playing Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Konami hasn’t yet announced a new spin-off or main installment in the Metal Gear series since Metal Gear Survive, released in 2018.

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