Brazilian Roguelike Game 9 Kings Reaches 13,800 Concurrent Players

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The kingdom-building roguelike game 9 Kings, from Brazilian developer Sad Socket Games, reached 13,800 concurrent players on Steam just 10 days after its Early Access launch on May 19, 2025. This achievement makes the title one of the largest PC debuts ever for the Brazilian studio. Publisher Hooded Horse announced this success on X and thanked the players for their support.

In 9 Kings, you start with a small village and build it into a mighty kingdom while playing cards to summon troops like knights, wizards, or demons. The game stands out for its chaotic deck-building that allows for the creation of crazy combinations, such as explosive wizards or necromantic sheep, to defeat enemy kings. Each of the nine kings has a unique deck of cards, and plundering enemies unlocks their cards.

Sad Socket was founded by childhood friends Andre Young and Rafael da Silva Melo. Young, a YouTube star with around 800 thousand subscribers and the creator of the largest Game Jam in Latin America, brought experience from games like Seraph’s Last Stand. Melo, the creative director with a background in film and advertising, shaped the project’s vision. They also shared on Steam: “We are just two guys chasing a dream,” crediting the success to a community that generated 170,000 wishlists for the game.