The Rise and Fall of Blaseball: Will We See More Horror Fantasy Sports Games Like This?

Blaseball, released in July 2020 was a baseball simulation horror game which gained a cult following created by The Game Band. It began as an idle game to keep people busy during lockdown and gained an intense cult following.

It was a fantasy baseball game with a horror twist which was played online. You would pick one of the teams, based on real locations, and collect coins for every game your team won.

The coins you’d earn would be used at the end of each week to vote for Decrees and Blessings that will change the game in the following week.

With the coins you earn you would bet on games as well as buy upgrades which would allow you to gain more coins.

 

Pros of the game

Blaseball was really easy to get involved in. The simple format to begin with and lack of necessary graphics or detailed gameplay ensured it could be understood to a basic level quickly.

Fans could experience the bizarre and unexpected events and just chalk it up to it being all part of the fun.

The game was pure entertainment for sports fans as well as gaming fans who could enjoy something completely new and easy to get involved in. The game was never dull, it continued to bring new things to its story lines and kept people coming back throughout the day.

Cons of the game 

The need for continual updates and the game running every hour needed to have the full attention of players which was a lot easier during the pandemic when people were staying at home.

As it needed to continue to develop with a cult following, more and more insane and ridiculous rules and events needed to be created which ended up making the game more confusing to follow.

Keeping up with the plotlines became too difficult and complex which forced The Game Band into taking a break and looking to bring it back in a clearer form.

eSports angle? 

The game was a great way to spend your days in lockdown, though its revival will almost necessarily go hand in hand with eSports.

By building a more professional and smoother plotlines, gamers will be able to build profiles and talents in the game which lends itself to competition and building a legacy.

With smoother plotlines and a game which can be better understanded, eSports and betting options can help the game grow even more when it is reintroduced.

What drew fans into Blaseball? 

Horror fans and sports fans alike were able to find something in the game. With its creepy vibes, there is a sense that something is not quite right in the world of Blaseball, where players Must Play Sports despite it being likely they would be incinerated.

It was a surreal fantasy fictional baseball with a sense of humor which drew fans in. With games happening every hour and seasons lasting a week there was no waiting around or time to forget about your team.

The game was easy to latch on to with its simple and minimalist website which was basically a set of names and results. 

Why it eventually had to go into hiatus. 

The cost of the game from the developer’s side was growing while not bringing in the revenue it needed to be able to continue growing.

The Game Band realized they needed to take a step away and decide upon the next steps.

By creating a more organized game with the craziness managed in a more easy to follow manner may be hard. The game was created to shock and excite, which needed time for the developers to go back and regroup.

We will see more Horror Fantasy Sports Games?

Fantasy sports are a huge hit around the world, from the English Premier League soccer to all the favorite leagues in the US including the NFL and MLB.

By adding this horror, fantasy twist, The Game Band found a large group of people who became engrossed and huge fans of the new game. Developing it in a way to meet sports fand and gaming fans in this style could be highly popular.

Combining fantasy sports with the gaming world would be huge for both industries, bringing sports fans closer to the gaming world if not already there. Horror games have had their cult followings, some have been massive in the mainstream gaming world too, and adding sports into the mix is something which has had mixed success in the past.

Drafts and fantasy stats have become a really popular way for people to engage in games which may not even be around the sports they follow. Developers can learn from the huge hit Blaseball became so rapidly that there is a real market out there for games like this. There are fans ready to try out new options.