QQ: what was the most-played game this year?

by: Nathaniel - posted: 12/14/2012 4:17:00 PM

Raptr has revealed the most played games for the year.  If you want to know exactly how popular your specific gaming tastes are, then read on.

We'll start with the big ones:  the most played new game of the year was Borderlands 2 - probably because Gearbox has figured out how to market digital crack.  The most played game that came out before 2012 is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but I'm sure most of you could figure that out.  The game that received the biggest boost from user-generated content is Portal 2.

Borderlands 2 was also the most played "long-awaited" sequel, and the winner of the "No Bathroom Break" title.  The most played new IP was Dragon's Dogma.  Finally, the most played XBLA game was, unsurprisingly, Minecraft, and the most successful "Paid to Free-to-Play" game is Star Wars: The Old Republic.  

For full details, follow the jump.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Dec. 13, 2012 – Raptr, the leading community for gamers, unveiled the results of the second annual Most Played Games Awards. The awards reveal exactly how gamers are spending their time with the biggest releases of 2012 based on gamer behavior and activities, including average individual playtime, average session length, and total playtime share.

The recipients of Raptr’s Most Played Awards of 2012 are as follows:
·         Most Played New Game – Borderlands 2 (Gearbox/2K Games)
·         Most Played Game (Released Anytime) – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Treyarch/Activision)
·         Biggest Boost from User-Generated Content – Portal 2 (Valve)
·         Most Played Long-Awaited Sequel – Borderlands 2 (Gearbox/2K Games)
·         No Bathroom Break – Borderlands 2 (Gearbox/2K Games)
·         Most Played XBLA Game – Minecraft (4J Studios/Mojang)
·         Most Played New IP – Dragon’s Dogma (Capcom)
·         Most Successful Paid to Free-to-Play Game – Star Wars: The Old Republic (BioWare/EA)

Highlights from the report include:
·         In 2012, gamers spent the most time with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, beating out League of Legends, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, and World of Warcraft, all games that were released before the calendar year and have managed to sustain high levels of community engagement.
·         Borderlands 2 saw 200% more total playtime than its closest competitor, Diablo III, in its first month of release.
·         Portal 2 saw a 446% increase in daily playtime after releasing mod tools that allowed users to create their own levels.
·         Star Wars: The Old Republic experienced a 136% increase in total playtime per day after switching from a subscription business model to free-to-play.
·         Dragon’s Dogma won the category for most played new IP, edging out Dishonored and TERA.

“This year’s results point out notable gameplay trends, particularly how gamers are spending time playing their favorite games,” said Dennis Fong, CEO of Raptr. “We’re seeing more time invested in games that constantly introduce new content and other community engagement activities, from console titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Portal 2 to MOBAs like League of Legends.”

To view the full Raptr Report on the Most Played Games of 2012, please visit http://caas.raptr.com/most-played-games-of-the-year-2012 .
Methodology
Raptr tracks actual gameplay data from its growing user base of more than 15 million gamers. Raptr uses a proprietary formula based on key statistics, including total hours, average session length, and average playtime per person to determine the winners of the Most Played Games of 2012. To create equal footing for comparison, all games are compared based on the same time frames, typically defined as the first month after release. Games on the Wii and PS3 platform are not factored into these awards, due to data capturing restrictions. Please view the full report for more details.

About Raptr
Raptr is the leading community for gamers, with 15 million users. Gamers love using Raptr to connect with all things gaming, to track their gameplay activity, build their gaming rep to see how they stack up against friends, and earn rewards for playing games on console and PC. Over 40 game publishers use Raptr's Community Platform to connect with our users and build a vibrant fan base around their games.

Created in 2007 by a world-class team led by CEO and founder Dennis Fong (co-founder of Xfire, Lithium, and Gamers.com), Raptr has raised more than $27 million in funding from investors Accel Partners, Founder’s Fund, DAG Ventures, and Tenaya Capital. For more information about Raptr, please visit http://raptr.com.