Raptr's Most Played PC list shows strong start for WildStar
Raptr has released its Most Played PC Games list for June 2014 and we spot six MMOs gracing the company's list this time around. As no surprise to anyone, World of Warcraft still dominates in the number 3 spot, behind League of Legends and Dota 2, but we also see WildStar's debut at number 6. World of Tanks, Final Fantasy XIV, Guild Wars 2, and The Elder Scrolls Online finish out the remaining MMOs on the list.
Interestingly enough, The Elder Scrolls Online's hours played were nearly cut in half from May to June, and Star Wars: The Old Republic was bumped from the list entirely. It's important to note that these rankings are only based on hours played by those who use Raptr for each play session. Check out the complete infographic and press release after the cut.
[Source: Raptr press release]
Most Played PC Games: June 2014 -- WildStar on the Rise, Steam Summer Sale Aftermath
WildStar, the new MMORPG from Carbine/NCSoft, had a strong launch, Battlefield 3 made a comeback thanks to Origin's On the House program, and Payday 2 climbed the ranks due to new content and Steam's Summer Sale. Overall, gameplay time among Raptr members in June was up 15% over last month.
Highlights
League of Legends playtime climbed 13.26% in June, despite a decrease in the game's Share percentage. The game received character, item, and map patches throughout the month and featured a limited run of the One For All: Mirror Mode that ended early in the month. Overall, League of Legends had a steady increase in playtime in June, which was probably driven in part by Raptr's growing userbase.
DOTA 2 regained the number two spot from World of Warcraft, helped by a 24.52% playtime boost in June compared to May. Increased Summer Sale-related Steam activity was likely a factor, and on the content side the game added ranked team matchmaking. World of Warcraft, on the other hand, saw an 8.76% playtime decrease in June, due in part to WildStar stealing some players.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's playtime rose 10.88% in June despite losing a small percentage of Share time. The game was part of Steam's Summer Sale in June and also had the Arms Deal Update that included major weapon balancing.
WildStar made a resounding 6th-place entry into Most Played as it released on June 3, with weekly patches throughout the month. The new MMO impacted the playtime of The Elder Scrolls Online, WoW, Dark Souls II, and Final Fantasy XIV Online, and was definitely a factor that led to those games slipping in the ranks.
Watch Dogs jumped 11 spots to claim 8th place. The game released very late in May, so June was its first full month of availability. A stability/performance patch on June 18 had little impact on the expected post-launch playtime fall-off.
Battlefield 4 saw a slip in the rankings due to the Battlefield: Hardline beta. Gameplay time for BF4 cratered between June 19-26, which coincided with the opening of Hardline's beta to all PC players. Battlefield 3, on the other hand, saw a 230% playtime surge. BF3 benefited from Origin's On the House Program, which offers up a free game to Origin members for a limited amount of time.
Payday 2 also got a major bump in the rankings thanks to two different Steam sales (one Summer, one not) and a comparatively smaller boost from the June 17 Big Bank Heist DLC.
Elder Scrolls Online was in bad shape in June as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim edged out the MMO in the rankings. This is most likely due to a big Summer Sale discount for Skyrim and WildStar claiming a chunk of ESO playtime; ESO hours were down by nearly half in June compared to May. We could very well see both Elder Scrolls games out of the top 20 in July.
