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Business Standard
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
Roblox's Grow a Garden sets record: Breaking down the success of idle games
A Roblox game titled 'Grow a Garden' has recently been making headlines for all the right reasons. For a long time, action-packed or strategy and shooting games have dominated the gaming community, but this time, a farming simulator game has reportedly shattered records. According to a Fortune report, Grow a Garden has claimed the top spot for having the most concurrent players of any game in history. Here's a breakdown of the success of the recently launched game. What is Grow a Garden Grow a Garden is a free-to-play farming simulation game on Roblox, launched in March 2025. In the game, players start with a small plot and basic crops, using in-game currency called Sheckles to plant, harvest, and expand their gardens. The game quickly became viral between May and June, after setting a record with over 21 million concurrent players, surpassing even Fortnite's all-time peak, as reported by The Economic Times. What might have led to its success The charm of Grow a Garden lies in its idle gameplay mechanics: crops continue growing even while you're offline, encouraging steady progress without constant attention. As you advance, you unlock dozens of crop types, pet companions that boost growth, and mutations that dramatically increase crop value. This, in a way, is akin to Plants Vs Zombies. Due to its simple mechanics, engaging and strategic gameplay, Plants Vs Zombies bagged the "Strategy Game of the Year" award at the Golden Joystick Awards. Now, Grow a Garden, though a bit different, might be headed on the path to bag a series of awards. Another possible reason for Grow a Garden's success might be that the game also features regular events, like 'Working Bees,' 'Summer Update,' and other seasonal challenges where players can earn limited-time items and rare mutations by participating in dynamic activities. These events might be helping to maintain engagement in the community. Furthermore, Grow a Garden stands out for its creator economy model, built by a 16-year-old developer and later partially acquired by Splitting Point Studios. According to Business Insider, the 16-year-old who created the game in just days has remained anonymous. According to an interview in a gaming newsletter with Roblox developer and the founder of Splitting Point Studios, Janzen "Jandel" Madsen, Grow a Garden was initially created by the teen who built it in a few days. Then Madsen acquired part of the game to build it out with a team of developers. Under Madsen's guidance, the Splitting Point Studios organised live updates, community events, and live-ops strategies that helped Grow a Garden skyrocket to over 21 million concurrent users, surpassing records previously held by Fortnite. Madsen has also created or co-led development on several other top Roblox titles, including popular experiences like Wacky Wizards, Field Trip Z, Bed Wars, and Jandel's Road Trip. Idle simulator games are making a mark Grow a Garden is one of many games that have recently acquired a large user base. Other games, such as Idle Miner Tycoon, Idle Lumber: Business Empire, Idle Farming Empire, Prison Empire Tycoon, and other games have been downloaded by millions of users. As per Google Play Store, Idle Miner Tycoon alone has been downloaded more than 100 million times. Such games do not engage in combat, shooting, or action but yet they are able to engage gamers. They feature very simple mechanics, behind-the-scenes functionality so that you do not have to keep the game open for hours to be able to collect in-game rewards, calming music, and more. When all these come together, then, as per the data, it seems like the recipe of a hit game is created. One of the best things to have emerged from the current times and trends is the removal of barriers in the world of game creation. With Roblox in place, anyone can sign up and create a game that others can play simply by choosing it from Roblox's catalogue. Leading games like Fortnite and PUBG are also trying to capitalise on the user-generated content. What is Roblox Roblox is an online platform that lets users create, share, and play games developed by other users. Unlike traditional video games, Roblox is not a single game but a vast ecosystem where millions of user-generated experiences exist across genres like racing, adventure, role-playing, and simulation. These games are built using Roblox Studio, a free development tool that allows creators to design environments, code mechanics, and monetise their content. Roblox also functions as a social hub, allowing players to interact through chat, join friends in games, and customise avatars with clothing and accessories purchased using Robux, the platform's virtual currency. Its accessibility on PC, mobile, Xbox, and even VR devices, along with a large and active community, makes Roblox more popular among younger audiences.
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hollow Knight: Silksong Fans React in Uproar After the Game's Latest Nintendo Direct No-Show
Today's Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase might have featured a new Plants vs Zombies remake, Monster Hunter Stories 3 and a pair of new Square Enix HD-2D titles, but there was one game conspicuous by its absence. Again. Hollow Knight: Silksong fans tuning in were left disappointed by yet another video game showcase passing with no further word of Team Cherry's highly-anticipated, long-awaited sequel. And to be fair to the fans, there was cause to think today might finally bring Silksong's much-desired release date. A Nintendo Direct earlier this year confirmed the game would arrive in 2025, raising hopes of a fresh appearance today. And, just days ago, Microsoft announced that Silksong will be playable via a fresh Xbox demo in a couple of weeks at Gamescom. Amid this backdrop, hopes were high — but, as we now know, they were in vain. Reaction to the Nintendo Direct on the Hollow Knight and Silksong subreddits has, perhaps to be expected, not been positive. The top thread currently on the Silksong reddit is a meme of a cat laughing open-mouthed, pointing at the screen. "It's never been so over", "The cycle of pain", "Silksong isn't real" read a selection of the comments. "I've genuinely lost so much hype for this game," wrote reddit user YeetHead10. "I was so excited last year but now I've just moved on." "No you havent," replied DirtySlutMuffin. "You're here complaining.""At least this is consistent in my life," CringeNaeNaeBaby2 said, referring to the constant disappointment around Silksong they faced. "You know when they go to jail, spend years trying to get out, then beg to be readmitted after being freed? I'm gonna beg for Silksong to be unreleased. I need the longing, the spite keeps me alive. I'm gonna drop dead when Silksong comes out." Most fans simply seem upset at their own frustration, though a few have suggested Silksong developer Team Cherry should be doing more to set expecations. "I feel like people would be taking it better if Team Cherry themselves gave more frequent updates," wrote reddit user ChocoGoodness, "instead of letting us wait for Nintendo or Xbox or whatever to announce it." Officially, all we know of Silksong's arrival is that it will launch before Christmas 2025, and not be tied to the release of the ROG Ally X handheld. For everything that was shown today, here's our roundup of the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase presentation in full. See you at Gamescom Opening Night Live, Silksong fans? Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ or find him on Bluesky @
Geek Girl Authority
02-06-2025
- Business
- Geek Girl Authority
Mobile Game Monday: PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES
Greetings, friends, and welcome to Mobile Game Monday, where we chat about games you can play on the go. If you like gaming on a phone or tablet , this is the place for you. Join us every week as we go on all sorts of adventures. Electronic Arts has been in the news a lot this year after several rounds of layoffs, the most recent being the closure of Cliffhanger Games. According to IGN, this means that the Black Panther game announced in 2023 will not see the light of day. Additionally, layoffs will be made to the mobile team although EA president Laura Miele says the developer will maintain their mobile business. With this dark cloud hanging over Electronic Arts right now, I thought we would look at one of EA's brighter moves–acquiring PopCap Games in 2011. This brought EA into the mobile gaming sphere and ported one of my favorite games to the platform. With Spring winding down and Summer hot on our heels, let's do yardwork like our life depends on it in Plants vs. Zombies. RELATED: F2P Friday: Bronzebeard's Tavern Plants Vs. Zombies Plants vs. Zombies (2011) is a tower defense game where the player plants various vegetation in their yard to defend their home against waves of zombie invaders. Your yard takes up most of the screen and has a grid layout. Zombies will wander in from the right and you must take them out before they reach your front door on the far left. Image courtesy of the Play Store. Place plants one at a time using energy or sunlight that occasionally comes from the sky or can be produced by planting sunflowers. Each plant costs a designated amount of energy to be planted. Choose from 49 different species, each with a unique ability. RELATED: Fields of Mistria Is Finally Getting a Dating Mechanic For example, the Snow Pea shoots frozen peas that damage and slow the enemy. These are great for those fast-moving athlete zombies. Before each battle, build an arsenal of only a handful of plants. Choose wisely because some plants are more effective against certain types of zombies. Creating a well-balanced arsenal is your first step to success. Image courtesy of Cassie Holguin. There are over 20 different types of zombies in Plants vs. Zombies . Some are tied to balloons to float above danger while others use pogo sticks to jump over obstacles. From the dancing disco crew to ghoulish athletes, there is no denying that these undead goofballs are a lot of fun. Screenshot courtesy of Cassie Holguin. Canonically, zombies aren't the best swimmers but they have figured out ways around that, too, like riding dolphins or using pool floaties. Imagine a real-life zombie apocalypse with these types of zombies. RELATED: Mobile Game Monday: Sagrada So Many Modes, So Little Time Adventure is the main mode and includes 50 levels that take place in your yard, pool, rooftop, and more. There is even a mode that tests your green thumb at night. Gardening is a little more difficult in the dark but zombies never sleep. Luckily, a variety of mushrooms can be planted at night to keep the undead at bay. Once you have completed your adventure, check out the zen garden where you can care for all of the plants you have collected. Screenshot courtesy of Cassie Holguin. Unlock new games and puzzles using the coins you collect while standing your ground. More ways to play include puzzle modes like i, Zombie where you get to play as the zombies. Or try Vase Breaker where you smash vases that contain either plants or zombies then deal accordingly on the fly. There are over a dozen different minigames to master like Beghouled which is a spooky-themed Bejeweled knockoff. Kudos to the developers at PopCap for coming up with so many creative ways to play the same game. This is the kind of quality content that keeps players interested in a game for so many years. RELATED: Game Review: Projected Dreams Our Adventure Ends Here I first played Plants vs. Zombies on the Xbox 360 around the time of its original release. I immediately became hooked and was ecstatic when it was ported to mobile. It was a great version of the game that played exactly like the original. However, that was many years ago, and was surprised to see how much the game has changed since then. Screenshot courtesy of Cassie Holguin. The most obvious and annoying change is the addition of ads, ads, and more ads. I suspect this is due to the involvement of EA. There is an ad before and after each level as well as ads to get helpful items. Of course, you can pay to remove them but many players reported paying and still seeing them, so buyer beware. RELATED: Read all of the Mobile Game Monday adventures here! On a more positive note, there is now way more game content, including several new game modes. As an OG player, it was a fun surprise to play some new content. Overall, the game itself is amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone who favors tower defense-style games. It will definitely have you saying, 'one more level.' Collecting new plants and trying new strategies is like fertilizer for your brain. Everything about this game is quirky and cute from the cheeky humor to the dozens of goofy zombies. Even the simple but silly soundtrack adds a certain charm and it will get stuck in your head. Take it easy, and play it safe, gamers! Plants vs. Zombies is free in the Play Store and the App Store. June's Most Anticipated Video Games
