Why The Hell Is Farming Simulator So Successful?

A game about farm work has sold over 40 million copies. Farming Simulator 25 holds a steady 20,000 to 30,000 players on Steam at the same time, a full year after launch, and that number does not even count console players. At release it peaked above 130,000. Everybody treats this series as a meme. So how is it actually one of the most successful game series on the planet? Giants Software has been shipping basically the same game since 2008 and it still sells over 2 million copies a year. There are modders making free content, a community that never leaves, and a real esport with prize money where you win by stacking bales. In this video we break down the 17 year run from the 2008 original to modding support and multiplayer, why learning something without noticing that you are learning feels so good, how the game covers almost every biome on the planet and why EIT Food partnered up with it, the freedom and the total lack of time pressure, the meme wave that big creators started, why keeping modders happy was the smartest move the developer ever made, and how a joke tournament at a farming trade show turned into competitive Farming Simulator. Do you already have experience with Farming Simulator? If yes, why? And if no, why? Let us know in the comments. SOURCES Farming Simulator 25 player charts: https://steamdb.info/app/2300320/char... EIT Food precision farming project: https://www.eitfood.eu/projects/integ... Farming Simulator 25 sales record: https://www.computerbild.de/artikel/c... TheFormalPickle, Why Farming Simulator Hits Different:    • Why Farming Simulator Hits Different   Akshon, The Most Interesting Esport You've Never Heard Of:    • The Most Interesting Esport You’ve Never H...   CHAPTERS 0:00 A meme game that sold 40 million copies 0:43 Basically the same game since 2008 1:33 You learn without noticing that you learn 2:30 Every biome on the planet, and why EIT Food joined in 4:26 Freedom, no time pressure, and GTA without the T 5:28 The meme wave that big creators started 6:03 Mods are the real reason this community exists 6:58 Nobody saw the esport coming 7:59 Bales, pick and ban, and tractor perks 8:53 The 3 reasons it actually works #farmingsimulator #farmingsimulator25 #gaming #giantssoftware #farmingsimulatoresports #simulationgames #videogameessay #steam #pcgaming