Multiplayer shooter World War 3 had a spike in popularity over the last week and a half, with its peak concurrent player count growing by 5.5 times.
World War 3 peaked at around 700 concurrent players at the beginning of March. Yesterday, it had 4366 concurrent players at peak (via SteamDB), which is a solid increase for the online shooter that has been in early access since 2018.
The rise in popularity probably happened due to a public stress test on March 12. Users could play World War 3 for free. Developers are now also preparing to launch a free-to-play open beta.
Poland-based The Farm 51, a studio behind World War 3, saw its shares rise from $5.7 on March 2 to $13.27 on March 14. As of now, the stock price is $11.8 (via Bankier.pl).
The Farm 51, founded in 2005 by former People Can Fly devs, is known for games like NecroVisioN, Deadfall Adventures, and Chernobylite. It also contributed to the development of The Witcher 1 and Two Worlds.