Blue Lock Rivals may be dying, with their CCU numbers slowly declining over time. But what is the reason? The change in ownership from Chrollo to Miro, Chrollo's new game Soccer Zero, or just the declining interest for sports games while Grow a Garden and 99 Nights in the Forest become top dogs on the platform? All of the above? Let's talk!
The Golden Days and Sudden Decline of Blue Lock Rivals
When Blue Lock Rivals Ruled the Pitch
At the peak of Blue Lock Rivals popularity, the game had more than 300k players. While that may not be close to the numbers games like Grow a Garden and 99 Nights in the Forest are getting, it is extremely impressive for a sports game, especially with so many Blue Lock-inspired games saturating the platform. Players flocked to Blue Lock Rivals for the signature moves from fan-favorite characters, and a competitive edge that made the series so addictive
For months, BLR dominated the Blue Lock gaming space on Roblox with Chrollo and his team at the helm. And then, everything changed. No, the fire nation did not attack, but the ownership changed in April of 2025. Not only Chrollo, but his entire team left Blue Lock Rivals, now in charge with Miro and his team. For a while, the numbers stayed up and it seemed like the transition between the teams would be smooth, but, we wouldn't be here talking about this if that was how it happened.
The Loki Update That Changed Everything
The turning point that many players now refer to as "the beginning of the end" is the infamous Loki update, and the addition of the Masters rarity for Style and Flow. While the player count had been slowly declining since May, after this update it fell under 100k CCU. Long-standing bugs remained unfixed while new features took priority, creating a perfect storm of player dissatisfaction.
Community Complaints Pile Up
The criticisms didn't stop there. BLR Players have been vocal about several key issues:
- Persistent gameplay bugs
- Management decisions that weren't synced with player desires
- A sense that the current leadership doesn't understand the community's needs, despite claiming that they were listening to the community.
Miro has addressed these issues in a Q&A video, talking how the team's goal is to fix game breaking bugs, increase the quality of updates, as well as listen to community feedback to avoid the disconnect between the players and the developers. That is a positive statement, many of the comments on the video itself seem to be over it, as the cycle has been repeating for a while now.
Enter Soccer Zero - Chrollo's Ambitious Return
Chrollo may not be a part of the BLR team anymore, but he hasn't been sitting bored at home. His team has been working behind the scenes on a new soccer game called Soccer Zero. This one, however, isn't just a Blue Lock game. Soccer Zero will incorporate characters and abilities from mutliple anime series and movies (there's plenty to draw from, unlike with sticking to just one anime like Blue Lock). Do I want a Naruto flow with a Clone Jutsu move? Absolutely! Tell me in the comments which character you'd want to see in this soccer AU.
Unlike with Miro's Q&A video, the trailer for Soccer Zero has been flooded with positive and supporting comments, echoing the same statement: "We are back!" The trailer has amassed more than 600k views in two weeks, showing even more the excitement players have for Chrollo's newest project.
Blue Lock Rivals vs Soccer Zero - The Ultimate Comparison
| Blue Lock Rivals | Soccer Zero | |
|---|---|---|
| Development and Leadership | Currently managed by Miro, currently facing harsh criticism over the game's path. | Led by Chrollo, the original BLR developer, who has, though not always perfect, a track record of understanding player needs. |
| Gameplay Scope and Vision | Limited to the world of Blue Lock, with its in-universe characters and abilities. | The world is their oyster and their choices are endless. They could implement old favorites (like the Big Three), as well as the more current hits. |
| Community Trust and Perception | The Community has been burned by promises that have not come to light, so the response has soured while the numbers keep declining. | Positive reactions to other Chrollo games continue with the new soccer game, largely based on Chrollo's reputation and promises of improved features. |
What the Community Is Saying
The numbers don't lie, and the community is very vocal on their thoughts. Players are done with promises that aren't coming true and are ready for a change. Miro and his team will have to work hard if they want to recover the players' trust and love for BLR.
In the meantime, comments like "Finally, Chrollo is back" and "Soccer Zero can't come soon enough" are becoming increasingly common. If the Blue Lock Rivals team isn't careful, their game will sync and the players will jump ship to Soccer Zero launches. Weather the love for Soccer Zero is a case of "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" or not is yet to be seen. We hope Chrollo does not disappoint.
Will Blue Lock Rivals Recover?
BLR still has a change of coming back, but it will take a lot of work and effort from the team, both when it comes to the development of the game, as well as with their community engagement (in particular, listening to the feedback).
Soccer Zero's impending release creates a ticking clock scenario. They need to be on stable ground before Chrollo's new game launches, or BLR might find it difficult to win back players who have already mentally moved on.
Change of Tides on the Platform
We can talk about how the change of ownership affected the numbers in BLR, but it is also true that players' interested has shifted away from the many sports-inspired games to some of the newer releases. Not a lot of Roblox games have longevity, and the community will flock from game to game as the trends change.
We've seen this with Fisch and Dead Sails, both suffering from vastly different issues. The first from an oversaturation of low quality updates, the second from an entire lack of updates. BLR is currently more in-line with Fisch, with constant weekly updates that haven't been impressing the community. Some players have stated that they don't need weekly updates if that means the quality will go up, and I echo that statement. However, if there aren't constant updates, then your playerbase might get bored. It's a tight rope act, and I definitely wouldn't want to be in the shoes of Miro and his team.
We have our promises from BLR, and expectations for Soccer Zero. Both can still impress and dissappoint. For now, all we can do is keep a close watch. In the meantime, if you want to try Chrollo's other games, check out Basketball Zero Chemical Reactions here on PGG.
Hristina is the Assigning Editor for Pro Game Guides. She has a Master's degree in English Language, Literature and Culture from the University of Belgrade. She's used her love of English to write blogs, anime quizzes, books as well as work as a Content Editor before starting at PGG as a Staff Writer. She lives for the horror genre and you'll often find her playing Dead by Daylight, R.E.P.O. and Marvel Rivals. Hristina's comfort games are Outlast, Last of Us, and Until Dawn, which she has played or watched other people play more than 10 times each.