[a]list Indie Gaming Week: Indie Games On the Rise For 2015

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The “indie game” development scene, at one time, was only seen by a fraction of an audience when it first came about, although some companies, like Microsoft, attempted to take the initiative with an Indie Games Channel on its Xbox 360. It worked, to a point, as it didn’t have as wide an audience reach as its main Xbox Live Arcade titles.

However, lately, the “indie game” scene has moved forward, and more and more developments are being seen as real “game changers” in the industry.

One particular game that’s bound to be success with its release next month is Other Ocean’s #IDARB, a sports-related title that features 8-bit style graphics and sound, and jam-packed with local and online multiplayer options. The game has already been selected by Microsoft as its latest in the Games With Gold program, where free titles are provided to users with Xbox Live Gold subscriptions.

#IDARB has already caught on with a large audience and critics alike via pre-release codes, and also features social interaction with Twitter, as real-time comments hashtagged with the game’s title actually change the course of what’s going on in the match. It’s an innovative move that should no doubt add to the game’s popularity as its audience opens up next month.

Sony has also pushed forward with its indie game developments, partnering with a number of companies through its Pub Fund program to bring exclusive titles to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. The company has already inked a deal with Yacht Club Games to bring its critically acclaimed platformer Shovel Knight to its systems this year, and it’s working closely with Hello Games on the innovative No Man’s Sky, a game that stole the show last month at the company’s PlayStation Experience event. The video below shows why people should be excited for this forthcoming release, as it really opens up a vast universe to explore.

Nintendo is no stranger to the indie game scene either. The company has happily embraced the scene as well, bringing exclusives like Stealth Inc. 2 from Curve Studios to the Wii U, with plenty more to come in the New Year, to coincide with its higher-budget first-party releases.

That’s not to say what’s happening on the PC front, where indie games have flourished through a number of companies, thanks to the Steam Greenlight program, which enables users to vote on titles in order to earn a widespread release on the service. The move has paid off for several companies, and they’re continuing their efforts into 2015.

Mobile games have been an important outlet for indie game developers, with the ease of putting games out on Android or iOS. Making a living doing that has been a different story. While early pioneers of indie mobile games have done well, these days the increasing difficulty of standing out amongst hundreds of thousands of games is making it harder for indie games to generate respectable revenues, especially in the free-to-play realm. Some firms, like Ustwo Games with Monument Valley, are managing to do quite well, though.

So, in short, indie gaming has gone from a cult status to long-term appeal with some of the bigger companies out there, with key titles already making an impact for 2015 and many more, like Devolver Digital’s Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number and Titan Souls, waiting in the wings. It’s no longer a “big kid’s” market anymore.

 

 

AlphaDraft’s New Model Combines Esports With Fantasy Leagues

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It’s often been said that where there’s sports, there’s spectators — and where there’s spectators, there’s cash. That old adage appears to apply to eSports, as well.

AlphaDraft, a new eSports-based provider of fantasy leagues launched today, aims to do for League of Legends competitors what sites like DraftKings and FanDuel did for baseball, basketball, and football. Users “draft” superstar League competitors for a day or weekend’s worth of matches, with a combination of virtual points and money at stake after a point-based soft launch.

AlphaDraft operates within a tournament-based format, with users selecting League players from a small pool. A different value applies to each player; users work within the limitations of a $50,000 “salary cap”.

League of Legends is seen as a natural fit for fantasy sports, with a regular season, playoffs, and easy-to-follow positions not unlike football or baseball.

“Each player’s value is determined by a custom algorithm we come up with,” said AlphaDraft founder Todd Peterson to VentureBeat. “Every week, these numbers change. What you do as a player is, it’s your ability to recognize the performance, the price-performance ratio of each player.”

For Peterson’s part, the ambitious AlphaDraft founder is hoping he can replicate DraftKings’ success by sticking closely to their model. “I saw how big the audience was, and I said, well, we can apply the same fantasy model to eSports and start with League of Legends. ESports has changed the way that people enjoy video games. The onset of Twitch and being able to watch all the games has made it into a real sport.”

ESports is blossoming into a global phenomenon, with competitions attracting long-coveted corporate sponsors and record-smashing numbers of viewers. AlphaDraft’s success could pave the way for true growth in the eSports betting industry, adding another layer to the lucrative world of sports gambling.

Amazon Also Enters (Original) Movie Business

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By: Sahil Patel

Fresh off two Golden Globe wins for its original series “Transparent,” Amazon Studios will now start producing and acquiring original, feature-length films.

Though unlike the TV business, Amazon Studios is eyeing traditional distribution before considering its own digital video platform. According to the company, it will first distribute all projects from Amazon Studios in theaters, before bringing them to Amazon Prime Instant Video in early distribution windows.

Typically, it takes a film anywhere from 39 to 52 weeks to arrive on SVOD platforms following its initial theatrical premiere. “Amazon Original Movies” will premiere on Prime Instant Video in the US just four to eight weeks after the theatrical debut, said Amazon.

Read more…

This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.

These Are The Game Trailers Of The Week: Jan. 16

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Grey Goo – Launch Trailer

This launch trailer is 2:30 chock full of epic CGI. These people are being attacked by a gooey, ruthless enemy, and I want to know why. This RTS features three races fighting over control of resources, which is very similar to how Starcraft is set up. When that is the case, you have to show why your game deserves the attention of the consumer; this came in the form of a massive CG trailer. I have no idea what the game mechanics are like, or if it’s even good at all, but the point of a trailer is to sell the game, and this certainly has selling power.

The Sims 4 – Outdoor Adventures Expansion Trailer

Let the Sims expansions begin! With its tumultuous launch behind it, The Sims 4 takes its first steps out of the neighborhood and into the wild yonder with Outdoor Adventures, the first of (assumedly) many “game packs” to be dropped for the iconic EA franchise. Dubbed an ‘entirely new product line for The Sims franchise”, this and other game packs will include a combination of new items and activities for your Sims to enjoy. While it’s unclear whether full-fledged expansions are on the way, EA and Maxis have promised plenty of free game updates on top of these paid game packs. The future of pretending to live other people’s lives are upon us, and it costs $19.99 a pop.

Puzzle and Dragons  – Super Mario Edition Teaser Trailer

This rare occurrence of Nintendo loaning out their flagship franchise to a third party developer means two things: it’s only a matter of time until Mario starts coming to mobile, and both companies are going to make a ton of money out of it. GungHo Online Entertainment is lauded as the leading mobile developer in Japan, and this time they’re flexing their chops on the 3DS mashing up Mario with the Puzzle and Dragons franchise. This shows a willingness to collaborate among the big players in the Japanese gaming market, along with the fact that Nintendo is willing to expand their horizons in order to stay at the top of their game. Besides, when is more Mario ever a bad thing

NPD December 2014: Retail Software Continues to Drop

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NPD has delivered its report covering December 2014, and also provided data for the full year of US retail sales of video games and accessories. The bottom line is that while hardware sales have been terrific for the year, up 20 percent overall versus 2013 ($5.07 billion versus $4.24 billion), software at retail stores dropped by 13 percent to $5.3 billion from $6.11 billion in 2013 (if you include PC software, the drop was 14 percent) as consumers increasingly moved to digital purchases. December was rougher for hardware, down by 4 percent to $1.31 billion from last year’s $1.37 billion, while software as down to $1.25 billion from December 2013’s $1.28 billion.

NPD’s Liam Callahan, as usual, looked for the bright side of the results. “For 2014, a modest 1 percent increase in overall sales was fueled almost entirely by the $838 million increase in hardware sales, offsetting the $808 million decline in software, however. Accessories grew by $132 million, leading to the 1 percent growth in overall retail sales,” Callahan said. He proceeded to put the results in context: “Keep in mind that the results for December and 2014 as a whole show the console space is going through a period of two transitions: One being a generational transition from seventh generation to eighth generation consoles and second, a format transition as console gamers become more comfortable with downloading games and what is being offered digitally.”

The interesting part is that NPD’s retail sales information is becoming increasingly less useful as the percentage of game software purchased at retail continues to decline. As SuperData’s CEO Joost van Dreunen noted, the retail software sales and digital software sales totals are about the same — though of course that’s largely due to mobile games and PC online games, which don’t have much impact at retail (though there are some digital value cards sold at retail). The bright spot for publishers has to be the continued strong sales of consoles, which means a greater installed base that may buy games. Still, it’s not going to be easy, with plenty of smaller, lower-priced indie games doing better than ever on consoles, and all of the forces at work changing the very nature of AAA console titles.

The hardware side of the market had a very good month, at least as far as next-gen consoles are concerned. “After 14 months on the market, cumulative sales of PS4 and Xbox One exceed the Xbox 360 and PS3 cumulative 14 month total by 65 percent,” Callahan noted. Of course, this is also a reflection of the weak sales of the seventh-generation consoles, which continue to disappoint.

Microsoft and Nintendo both weighed in with statements about how their consoles performed. “Wii U established new benchmarks for hardware and software sales in a single month in December,” said Nintendo in a statement. “This helped total hardware and software sales in 2014 increase by more than 29 percent and more than 75 percent, respectively, over sales in 2013.” Nintendo did not, however, supply any unit numbers, no doubt to forestall direct comparisons with other consoles.

Microsoft claimed the crown of console sales leader yet again. “Xbox One ended 2014 with an unprecedented holiday season, becoming the best-selling console in the U.S. in November and December,” said Microsoft in a statement. “In fact, weekly average sales during these months outpaced Xbox 360 by 50 percent at the same point in its lifecycle.” In a not-coincidental move, Microsoft once again dropped the price of the Xbox One by $50 to $349, after the price rose to $399 on January 1 with the end of its holiday promotion.

Once again, Microsoft is billing this as a promotional price rather than an actual, honest-to-retail MSRP price reduction. “We are excited to announce a new promotion in which fans in the U.S. can buy an Xbox One at a special price of $349, starting tomorrow, January 16, from their preferred retailer,” said Mike Nichols, Corporate Vice President of Marketing for Xbox. It’s difficult to avoid the inference that sales plummeted like a paralyzed falcon once the price went back up January 1, and Microsoft was not about to let Sony regain any momentum here. No end date for the promotion was announced… but it would be stunning if the price ever went up again from this point. It’s also not clear yet whether this price drop is worldwide, though that seems likely.

Sony weighed in by pointing out that they were still in the lead in overall consoles installed. “PlayStation 4 was the top-selling console in the U.S. and globally in 2014,” a Sony Computer Entertainment America spokesperson told GamesBeat. “And [it is] the fastest selling console in PlayStation history with 18.5 million sold through after just 14 months in the market. We are humbled by this success and want to thank gamers worldwide for helping us achieve holiday sales of more than 4.1 million across 123 countries and regions. We are looking forward to another momentous year in 2015 and bringing an epic line up of titles to PlayStation fans around the world.”

Callahan provided more detail about hardware sales over the holidays, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that bundling software helps move hardware. “Bundles were a major driver of hardware sales this December compared to last with 71 percent of hardware unit sales stemming from Bundles including software, which compares to 32 percent of hardware sales last December,” Callahan noted.

The software picture was a mixed one, as gains by eight-generation console software sales were more than offset by the drop in seventh-generation and handheld software sales. “With the growth in install bases across eighth generation consoles, software this December versus last December grew by 70 percent with each console posting strong double digit growth,” Callahan said. “Across 2014, eighth generation console software sales rose by $1.7 billion. In contrast, seventh generation software sales declined by 33 percent in December with portable sales also decreasing 16 percent. These combined to total a $2.5 billion decrease in sales in 2014 versus 2013.”

Interestingly, the lion’s share of the software sales went to the big cats sitting at the top of the charts. “While overall software sales dipped by 2 percent in December, top 10 represented the same percentage of unit sales as last December at 36 percent of all units sold in the month with only 1 percent fewer units,” Callahan stated. “Part of the 13 percent decline in entertainment software sales can be explained by 10 percent fewer new SKUs that were launched in 2014 compared to 2013.”

December 2014 Top 10 Games (US retail, across all platforms)

1. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (360, XBO, PS4, PS3, PC)** Activision Blizzard
2. Grand Theft Auto V (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3)** Take 2 Interactive
3. Madden NFL 15 (360, XBO, PS4, PS3)** Electronic Arts
4. Super Smash Bros. (NWU, 3DS)** Nintendo
5. NBA 2K15 (360, XBO, PS4, PS3, PC) Take 2 Interactive
6. Minecraft (360, XBO, PS3, PS4) Microsoft / Sony
7. Far Cry 4 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)** Ubisoft
8. Just Dance 2015 (Wii, 360, NWU, XBO, PS4, PS3) Ubisoft
9. Destiny (XBO, 360, PS4, PS3)** Activision Blizzard
10. FIFA 15 (360, XBO, PS4, PS3, Wii, 3DS, PSV)** Electronic Arts

NPD also released its annual list of the top-selling games at US retail stores for 2014, and there weren’t many surprises. If it wasn’t for the purchase of Mojang by Microsoft, we would have seen a company that’s not one of the big publishers grab a spot in the top ten . . . but you can see why Microsoft made the purchase by that very fact. It’s interesting that neither Skylanders nor Disney Infinity made the list, but those titles are doing quite well with the added revenue from the toy sales counted in. Destiny did amazingly well for a brand new IP, and it will be interesting to see how it performs in 2015. Destiny along with Watch Dogs were the only new IPs to make it onto the Top Ten list. Will 2015 end up having more or fewer new IPs in the Top Ten list That will be interesting to watch.

Annual 2014 Top 10 Games (US retail, across all platforms)


1. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (360, XBO, PS4, PS3, PC)** Activision Blizzard
2. Madden NFL 15 (360, PS4, XBO, PS3)** Electronic Arts
3. Destiny (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3)** Activision Blizzard
4. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)** Take 2 Interactive
5. Minecraft (360, PS3, XBO, PS4) Microsoft / Sony
6. Super Smash Bros.(3DS, NWU)** Nintendo
7. NBA 2K15 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC) Take 2 Interactive
8. Watch Dogs (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC, NWU)** Ubisoft
9. FIFA 15 (360, PS4, XBO, PS3, Wii, 3DS, PSV)** Electronic Arts
10. Call Of Duty: Ghosts (360, PS3, XBO, PS4, NWU, PC)** Activision Blizzard

**(includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)

Wii U Saw The Best Sales To Date In 2014

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Nintendo’s Wii U game console has been struggling for market share since its launch two years ago, and Nintendo has had to adjust to being the thiird-place seller after leading the industry with the Wii. The Wii U’s slow sales led notable third-party developers like Ubisoft and Activision to drop high-profile projects for the console in favor of the superiority of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4; most of the major  game publishers  have  abandoned Wii U support entirely. After 2014, however, there’s a different story at hand – the Wii U has notched higher sales than ever on the heels of some key software  releases.

GamesIndustry International reported via a Nintendo press release that December 2014 has shown the best single month of sales for the Wii  U console to date, powered by a number of critically acclaimed game releases, such as Super Smash Bros., Hyrule Warriors and Bayonetta 2. Specific sales figures weren’t provided with the report, but system sales were up 29 percent over the same period in 2013. Game sales also saw a big boost, a whopping 75 percent over the previous year.

The 3DS has also added to Nintendo’s success, with December 2014 showing as its biggest month to date for handheld software. Super Smash Bros. was noted as a big seller for the system, along with popular favorites like Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire. As for individual game sales, Mario Kart 8, which released over the summer, sold 1.7 million units, while Super Smash Bros. was close behind with 1.3 million units.

The overall dynamics of the market remain unchanged, though, with the Wii U still trailing the Xbox One and the PS4 in sales, and the lifetime sales of the Wii U will still have to do better to avoid being Nintendo’s worst-selling console in history. Third-party support is unlikely to materialize at this point no matter how much sales pick up, so the long term success of the Wii U will be up to Nintendo.

However, one factor that simply can’t be ignored is Nintendo’s line-up of Amiibo toys, which interact with the Super Smash Bros. game, among other titles. The company has sold over 2.6 million units of Amiibos to date, and that’s just with the first two waves release. Two more waves are planned for the New Year, including one next month that includes popular faces like Mega Man and Sonic. The fourth wave is planned for later in the spring.

Nintendo isn’t wasting any time gaining steam for 2015 either. It’s planning on releasing its new Nintendo 3DS system in the U.S. on February 13th, backed by a number of high-profile game releases; it’s bringing several Wii U games out this year, including The Legend of Zelda, StarFox and Splatoon; and it’s also launched a new digital initiative that’s bringing back several popular Wii titles to the Wii U system as low-priced digital re-releases, including Super Mario Galaxy 2, which is available this week for $9.99.

Could this be the turn-around that Nintendo needs Perhaps. It’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Developer Count Doubles For New Consoles

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Those of you worried that there aren’t enough developers to go around for new games for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 can relax – there are plenty to go around.

The Game Developers Conference, which holds a number of game development-oriented events throughout the year, recently polled more than 2,000 North American game developers that attended last year’s show in San Francisco, in an effort to compose the third annual State of the Industry Survey. This gives the team an idea of what to expect from the forthcoming show, which is slated to take part March 2nd through the 5th at the Moscone Center.

From the poll, a few trends have been pointed out, including the rise in console game development, as well as digital and microtransaction sales.

While PC and mobile continue to be top choices for game development, both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are showing tremendous growth. 26 percent of developers stated they’re working on a PlayStation 4 game (up from last year’s 14 percent), while 22 percent indicated they’re working on something on Xbox One (up from 12 percent in the previous year). While most of these could be considered multi-platform releases, they’re still being made specifically for these systems.

PC and mobile continue to have a huge lead, though, as 56 percent stated they’re developing something for PC, while 50 percent indicated interest in a new mobile project.

29 percent of developers said that they expect their next title to be on PS4, while 24 percent swore their next project would be for Xbox One. Those are steady rises from 20 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

The report also shows that digital sales and microtransactions have managed to grow over retail, as 29 percent of those polls said they made most of their profits from direct sales to consumers through digital. 21 percent have said they make a huge deal of money through microtransactions as a main source of profit for their free-to-play games. Those are bigger numbers than the 13 percent showing sales from retail, while 19 percent didn’t see any profit at all, either working from non-profit or some other form.

The report also stated other facts, such as how 41 percent of companies stated their profits were higher for the year, a rise from the 9 percent the year before. 44 percent of those polled indicated an increase in staff as well, compared to the 15 percent that fired or let go staffers.

Finally, one in ten developers stated some interest in developing some form of eSports games, while 79 percent of those polled said they perceive eSports as a huge wave for the future of gaming. “Twitch is making broadcasting competitions very accessible, and high-profile events like EVO are getting more and more attention,” one developer noted.

Another said, “Creating a game as an eSport causes it to become a hobby and an interest outside the act of playing it. This increased engagement is one way of allowing a game to become part of a player’s life in ways that (don’t) require them to always be investing their time into playing it.”

‘Monument Valley’ Reports Massive $6 Million Revenue

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Mobile games are more often a success story than not, thanks to savvy game developers who know their way around promotion and engaging content that keeps players coming back for more. That’s certainly the case with Ustwo’s Monument Valley, which has triumphed in the mobile market since its release last year.

The company released a new infographic (posted below) that shows just how successful the game has become, with over 2.4 million officially sold units sold and generating nearly $6 million in revenue ($5.86 million, to be precise). This has allowed the company to make back the $1.4 million it cost to develop the game, according to GamesIndustry International.

So far, the game has been installed across 10 million devices, with iOS devices leading the way with the most installs. Ustwo reports that nearly 82 percent of all revenues for Valley were generated specifically on Apple platforms, while 38 percent of sales came from gamers in the U.S.

The game has run into its fair share of piracy and “free” issues, but it’s overcome those, with producer Dan Gray indicating that it’s not that big a problem. “The majority of those users probably wouldn’t have bought the game anyway,” he explained. “So it’s not like we’re losing revenue. And, of course, I’m sure some of those users have recommended the game to friends who maybe aren’t as tech-savvy as they are. It’s essentially free marketing.”

The company also showed massive growth with its Forgotten Shores expansion, with over 575,000 customers adding it on to their initial gaming experience.

Other stats in the infographic include the game’s financial growth over time (with sparks in sales between the release of the Forgotten Shores chapter and Christmas), as well as official sales by country, and other stats, like the numbers of totems drowned in the game (over 2.2 million) and the number of times a camera was used with iOS devices.

 

‘The Simpsons’ Clan Heads To ‘Minecraft’

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The animated family The Simpsons are no stranger to video games, having appeared in a number of licensed titles over the years, from arcade hits to EA’s open-world The Simpsons Game. However, this week, the family will be making its debut in an entirely different franchise – Mojang’s Minecraft.

Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has signed a deal with Microsoft that will bring the entire Simpsons family, along with 19 additional characters to Minecraft on Xbox One and Xbox 360. The crew is expected to make their debut in the game in late February, with the pack selling for $1.99. It’ll be released for other platforms as well, including PlayStation consoles and PC, at a later date, according to Variety.

Minecraft has served as a stable tool for marketers to attach additional franchises to, as it’s seen a variety of licensed packs over the years, including ones based on The Walking Dead, Star Wars, Marvel’s cinematic universe and Doctor Who. The Simpsons are simply the latest addition to the line-up, and should be quite popular with the millions of players who take part in the game.

“We have an active community of more than 17 million die-hard Minecrafters on Xbox Live enjoying the wide range of downloadable content on Xbox, and they have been clamoring for us to bring Simpsons characters to the game,” said Phil Spencer, head of Xbox.

Microsoft made big business waves last year acquiring the developer of the series, Mojang. It invested a whopping $2.5 billion in the company, and even though some staff, including lead developer Markus “Notch” Persson, have departed following the deal, it appears to be business as usual for the company, cranking away on valuable Minecraft content, amongst other projects.

The Simpsons will no doubt add to that appeal. “Like The Simpsons, Minecraft is a true cultural phenomenon embraced by people of all ages, from every corner of the globe,” said Roz Nowicki, executive VP of global sales and retail for Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products. “We know fans of the show will have a ton of fun bringing the colorful characters of Springfield into the intricate worlds they’ve been building in Minecraft.”

Once it releases next month, there’s no doubt that this franchise will be rolling in the D’OH!

‘League Of Legends’ Holds Top Spot In Raptr Most Played Rankings

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Once again, Raptr brings us a look at the most-played PC games of the month, with the data derived from Raptr’s over 20 million members. One thing is abundantly clear: If you want to boost play time, new content is a proven winner for successful games.

Raptr’s Analysis:

The year ended on a positive note, with nearly all titles in the top 20 increasing play time — though overall time was up a modest 4.84 percent from November to December.

Highlights

League of Legends closed out 2014 in the top spot once again, up 30.09 percent in play time compared to November. Contributing factors included a big preseason patch, a “vault-clearing” Snowdown champions/skins sale, exclusive Summoner’s Rift icons, and a limited-time game mode called Legend of the Poro King.

World of Warcraft remained in second place in December. WoW was riding high on its Draenor expansion in November, and discounts along with holiday events continued the momentum and led to an impressive 9.94 percent boost in December.

Even though the Frostivus holiday event was canceled this year, DOTA 2 play time climbed 27.92 percent versus November. The mid-month Shifting Snows update was relatively minor, yet gameplay spiked significantly around launch.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive had a 60.64 percent surge in December, thanks in part to a sale on Counter-Strike Complete (which includes several CS titles) and the reintroduction of the classic Train map, which was free for all CS: GO players.

Smite‘s play time was up 21.45 percent compared to November. The MOBA introduced a new god in mid-December, but it was a limited-time bonus and all-gods-available-for-play event that saw game time peak at the end of the month.

December was Dragon Age: Inquisition‘s first full month on sale, and play time has held strong after its mid-November launch. Total monthly hours were up 114.29 percent.

Hearthstone‘s Goblins Vs. Gnomes expansion helped to move the game up two places in December’s Most Played, thanks to a 63.19 percent play-time surge.

World of Tanks and Battlefield 4 both rose in top 20 rankings as well as play time. World of Tanks (26.11 percent increase) moved up three spots thanks to Update 9.5, holiday events, and WGLNA Season 5 matches, which players could watch from the game launcher. Battlefield (24.38 percent) moved up a rank to close out the top ten.

ArcheAge and Diablo III were the only titles in the top 20 to lose play time in December. ArcheAge was down 22.15 percent, and Diablo lost 9.19 percent.

December was good for Warframe as it gained 62.4 percent play time compared to November. Archwing add-ons, new Prime Access, and holiday bundles were major contributing factors.

Star Wars: The Old Republic released Shadow of Revan in December and saw a 33.35 percent play time bump. The game remained in 14th place, however.

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, FIFA 15, and ArmA III all made a return into the top 20 for December. Skyrim, which soared six ranks, gained 78.25 percent play time. A major discount to the Legendary Edition of the game was the main factor in its return. In-game holiday sales and discounts to the title brought FIFA 15 back into the top 20 with a 50.34 percent increase. ArmA III returned to the top 20 with a 47.15 percentincrease thanks to sales.

Note: The Share number by each game represents that title’s gameplay time as a percentage of the total time spent on all the PC games played by Raptr members, and is useful for comparing the relative amount of play time between particular games.