Sword Art Online: Unleash Blading

VS

Ark: Survival Evolved

Sword Art Online: Unleash Blading is a mobile RPG by Bandai Namco released in late 2019. While it leveraged the popular SAO anime IP and initially saw strong downloads, it is now over 4 years old—a lifespan where mobile anime RPGs typically experience significant playerbase decline unless they remain breakout hits. Bandai Namco's ongoing support keeps a modest, mostly niche community engaged, but overall activity is much lower than at launch.

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.