The sixth annual TennoCon was a digital-only event that took place on July 17, giving Warframe fans from all over the world the opportunity to gather on Twitch to watch a livestream of the convention. This included a 30-minute gameplay reveal of the upcoming The New War content expansion that will release sometime later this year.
At TennoCon 2021, developer Digital Extremes also announced that Warframe will soon begin supporting cross-play and cross-saves on all platforms, ensuring that players will be able to enjoy the game with their friends no matter the platform. The developer also announced that the free-to-play third-person shooter will be coming to mobile devices and that a working version is already in development.
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In a press release about the event, Digital Extremes revealed that the convention had broken player attendance records, perhaps because TennoCon 2021 being online only increased accessibility. In addition to earning Warframe a place on Twitter’s Top Ten Global Trending list that day, TennoCon attendees broke two other records: in-game peak concurrent players and viewership of the livestream on Twitch.
The TennoLive Relay event provided Warframe players with an in-game interactive preview of The New War, as well as a replay of some of the game’s most momentous and shocking story points to date. Hundreds of thousands of players logged into Warframe to participate, propelling the game onto Steam’s list of the Top Ten Highest Ever Peak Concurrency for a free-to-play game.
On Twitch, viewership of TennoCon’s The New War expansion gameplay preview drew more than 540,000 concurrent viewers. This made the stream simultaneously the most watched Warframe broadcast ever and the most attended TennoCon event yet. Warframe jumped to the number one spot on the streaming platform for the day, and it then became the only game to earn a place on Twitch’s Top Five Highest Peak Concurrent Viewership Streams of 2021.
TennoCon 2021 wasn’t only about breaking records for developer Digital Extremes, however. Warframe players who tuned in to watch the livestream received a variety of exclusive in-game awards and access to limited-time bonus events. Two special TennoCon packs could also be purchased, one with digital cosmetic items and the other containing physical goods like a t-shirt, pin, lanyard, and event badge.
Viewer donations during the TennoCon 2021 livestream benefited Unity Project of London, Ontario, an organization that specializes in providing shelter, supportive housing, and stability for people dealing with and struggling to escape homelessness.
Warframe is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with mobile support currently in development.