Steam player records broken by Umamusume upon release of Kitasan Black card

Umamusume: Pretty Derby has nearly doubled its Steam player count overnight, driven by player demand for a single card. The game’s Western release has seen strong interest, but the introduction of the Kitasan Black SSR card has now pushed the game to new player count records on the platform.

Steam charts recorded a peak of 87,000 concurrent players, up from a previous high of around 50,000. This surge was triggered by the release of the Kitasan Black card, a support card valued by players for its increased hint frequency, speed affinity, and the ability to boost the appearance rate of support characters during training.

Dedicated Umamusume players have been preparing for the card’s arrival, saving in-game resources to maximise their chances of pulling Kitasan Black.

However, obtaining the full benefits of the card requires reaching level 45, a milestone that needs three duplicates of the card, prompting some players to spend significant amounts of real-world money.

Some players have resorted to rerolling accounts by deleting their data to attempt multiple pulls during this period, contributing further to the sharp increase in player activity.

The unique mechanics of Umamusume allow for this approach, making it a strategic time for players aiming to secure the card during its initial banner availability.

While Umamusume’s main audience is on mobile platforms, the surge in Steam players underlines the game’s growing popularity in the West.