# Realm Royale

> Realm Royale reached roughly 105,000 concurrent Steam players after its free launch.

- Owner: Hi-Rez Studios
- Kind: Game
- Sector: Gaming
- Seed date: 2018-06-05
- Peak date: Week of Jun 19, 2018
- Date basis: Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 47 (Notable), v1.2
- Mechanics: Platform jump, Press loop, Pairing, Variable reward, Controversy

## Summary

Hi-Rez released a free battle royale and planned launch streams. Ninja played it; Steam concurrency passed 100,000. Coverage later led with a 95% player decline and disputes over updates. Console downloads and a relaunch followed before shutdown.

## Timeline

- Jan 2018 — Hi-Rez Studios (Open web) — Hi-Rez announced Paladins: Battlegrounds as a Paladins game mode at its annual expo.
- 2018-06-05 — Hi-Rez Studios (Open web) — Hi-Rez released Realm Royale free in Steam Early Access without access keys.
- 2018-06-06 — PC Gamer (Press) — PC Gamer covered the release and Hi-Rez’s planned marathon broadcast with community streamers.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/realm-royale

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Realm Royale.” Case HIS-00474. Spread Score v1.2: 47/100. Updated 2026-10-14. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00474