Party Stars

VS

Ark: Survival Evolved

Party Stars is a mobile game from TiMi Studio Group (a major Tencent subsidiary) and Level Infinite, released in late 2023. Its blend of party, arcade, and open world elements targets a broad casual audience, and it appears to be well-marketed in China. Given its recent release, strong publishers, and the popularity of 'Mario Party'-style games in mobile markets, it likely sustains a sizable player base, especially in its core regions. However, it does not meet the persistent, massive multiplayer world criteria to be considered an MMO.

Ark: Survival Evolved is a popular survival sandbox game released in 2017 and available on nearly all platforms. Its peak was several years ago, but it maintains a stable community thanks to official and community servers, modding, and occasional event content. While numbers have declined since launch, the game still sees tens of thousands of daily players across PC and consoles, especially due to its ongoing updates and active mod scene. However, it is not an MMO as it does not feature a single, large-scale persistent world—servers are capped and players are sharded.