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Watermelon Game is the latest Nintendo Switch game to go viral - two years after its release.
Suika Game (aka "Watermelon Game") is a puzzle game that sees players stacking various types of fruit on top of each other, Tetris style. Despite being released back in 2021, the seemingly simple game has gained a second lease of life after going viral online. People from all over the world are getting hooked on the Nintendo eShop exclusive title, and Japanese content creators are mostly responsible for this boom in sales.
As reported by Automaton, Watermelon Game's developer, Aladdin X, has said that sales of the Switch game have increased "by more than 50,000 times" compared to before the game went viral - which is pretty incredible. The company attributes the game's recent success to its "cute and friendly art that appeals to a wide audience" as well as "the simplicity of the game's rules."
Although its easy-to-learn gameplay was surely a factor, the game's also been riding high on an Among Us-grade wave of promotion from major celebrities ranging from Japan's biggest vtubers to height-of-their-fame artists like Ado. On Twitch alone, TwitchTracker shows a 25.9 million percent jump for the game's viewership between May and August, and a more realistic but still staggering increase of 56.5% – up to 2.84 million hours watched monthly – for last month.
I might be cracked at suika game... 🍉 pic.twitter.com/lh21XdpigoOctober 7, 2023
I've peak in suika game pic.twitter.com/jWkpE5PN1TOctober 10, 2023
スイカゲームのせいで眠れなくなってるんだ スイカゲームのことしか考えられない そう、恋をしているんだ スイカにOctober 5, 2023
If you search for 'watermelon game' on Twitter, you'll find a number of different vtubers sharing clips of themselves playing Suika Game - with many of them calling it "addictive" and "so much fun." The streamers at leading vtuber agency Hololive, which has inadvertently become a giant billboard for a variety of games ranging from Deep Rock Galactic to Final Fantasy 14, have introduced millions of viewers to the game alone. The good news is if you were considering trying this one out it'll only cost ¥240, that's the equivalent of $1.61 or £1.31.
The bad news is that it isn't available outside of Japan, although you can set up a Japanese eShop account if you're desperate to try the game out yourself. There's also a free browser version (thanks Polygon) you can try.
Need to take a break from Watermelon Game? Take a look at our best Switch games list to find out what else you could be playing.
