And the Most Played Game on Xbox Live in 2010 Is ...

[Greg Tito]

And the Most Played Game on Xbox Live in 2010 Is ...

I'll give you two hints: the game's sub-title starts with a color and it rhymes with "plops."

Every year, Major Nelson or as his friends call him, Larry, totals up the most popular Xbox Live titles from the past year and broadcasts the results to his fellow netizens. After fooling around far too long with Excel spreadsheets and a slide rule, Nelson is happy to report that Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer was played the most over Xbox Live in 2010, followed by Halo: Reach, Red Dead Redemption and Fable III. Also listed was the top Live Arcade game, topped by Dead Rising 2: Case Zero and Limbo, and the most successful Indie Games, led by everyone's favorite Baby Maker Extreme

Keep in mind, these results are only indicative of the Xbox Live activity for a game in the first 7 days that they were available. The open-world Red Dead multiplayer might have been played by people who bought the game after release or kept playing after that 7 day window, but none of that is reflected in these results.

I don't know about you, but that makes these lists somewhat misleading. I'd rather know what games were played over the course of the year instead of just measuring how well they did for the first 7 days.

Here are the top 10 for each category:

Xbox Live: Most Unique Users in the First 7 Days of Availability

Call of Duty: Black Ops
Halo: Reach
Red Dead Redemption
Fable III
Battlefield: Bad Co. 2
Medal of Honor
Mass Effect 2
FIFA Soccer 11
Fallout: New Vegas
BioShock 2

Xbox Live Arcade: Most Sales in the First 7 Days of Availability

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero
LIMBO
Perfect Dark
Toy Soldiers
Monday Night Combat
Deadliest Warrior
Dead Rising 2: Case West
X-Men Arcade
Castlevania Harmony of Despair
Plants vs Zombies

Xbox Indie Games: Most Sales in the First 7 Days of Availability

Baby Maker Extreme
Avatar Showdown
Avatar Paintball
Avatar Ninja!
Avatar Racedrome
Try Not To Fart
Nuclear Wasteland
Avatar Onslaught
Yet Another Zombie Defense
Zombie Estate

In case you were wondering what Xbox Live (and PS3 and Steam) games your fellow Escapist denizens are playing to see how it compares with Major Nelson's list, check out our statistics page here. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/top_games]

Source: Major Nelson [http://majornelson.com/archive/2011/02/02/top-xbox-live-games-of-2010.aspx]

Permalink

 

[samsonguy920]

This does feel skewed, as I find suspect that Mass Effect 2 falls below Medal of Honor.

I demand results!

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

This does feel skewed, as I find suspect that Mass Effect 2 falls below Medal of Honor.

I demand results!

Probably because Mass Effect 2 is a single-player game, which means many people aren't signed in to live when they play it. Medal of Honor was primarily a multiplayer game.

 

[Eri]

I am surprised by this list. Really. I am.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

I am not sure to be surprised that Black Ops was the winner or not, considering how it only was out for about one and a half months in 2010, and MW2 was out the entire year, or is this only of games that came out in 2010?

 

[jamez525]

I am not sure to be surprised that Black Ops was the winner or not, considering how it only was out for about one and a half months in 2010, and MW2 was out the entire year, or is this only of games that came out in 2010?

This does feel skewed, as I find suspect that Mass Effect 2 falls below Medal of Honor.

I demand results!

It only covers the first 7 days of availability, as it says in the article.
So it doesn't count people who picked up the game over a week later, so really its no surprise that the most pre-ordered game was also the most played over it's first seven days.

Can anybody explain to me why I should care about this? It means literally nothing to me, if it was over a few months, I would be interested but 7 days is just stupid.

 

[FlashHero]

Baby Maker Extreme better be a impregnation date sim or im not happy.

 

[monnes]

Mainstream shite at the top of the list as usual... casuals are killing the industry

Most played game list, by topping it i'd reckon you're by definition mainstream...

 

[LeonLethality]

Mainstream shite at the top of the list as usual... casuals are killing the industry

I'd like to think I play video games pretty casually but I buy a lot of games, I hardly think I am killing the industry.

Aren't you the hipster though, calling something mainstream shit just because it is mainstream.

 

[RatRace123]

Shockedy shock.
Well, actually in some respect it's kinda shocking, I wasn't really sure what FPS was gonna land at the number one spot. (You knew it had to be an FPS, though.)
Figured it'd be between Reach and Black Ops, though.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Good to see Limbo caught on. The game is awesome.

Mass Effect 2 is primarily a single player game so I'm not surprised it is where it is.

 

[Dfskelleton]

LIMBO deserves the praise it's getting. That game's freaking amazing.

 

[Stabby Joe]

I actually found the donwloadable list the most interesting, depending on the mentioned game as follows:

1. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (this does make sense being cheap but substantial for a "preview" game)
2. LIMBO (slightly surprising since it was expensive despite being called short but then again it was very praised)
3. Perfect Dark (not surprising, been a popular game for a long time)
4. Toy Soldiers (WWI isn't the most common theme, more so toys of WWI, great game though so good it did well)
5. Monday Night Combat (never heard much of this game)
6. Deadliest Warrior (somewhat negative press... although I suppose the show is popular)
7. Dead Rising 2: Case West (DLC technically)
8. X-Men Arcade (not surprising, people like X-Men)
9. Castlevania Harmony of Despair (same)
10. Plants vs Zombies (surprised it's not higher actually)

 

[vxicepickxv]

So the game that had the most unique users in the first 7 days was the game that also had the largest first day sales(ever set by a game) is in first place and we're supposed to do anything go other than "well duh"?

 

[KEM10]

I don't know about you, but that makes these lists somewhat misleading. I'd rather know what games were played over the course of the year instead of just measuring how well they did for the first 7 days.

Actually, if they had the first month (for example) showing, then the games released in December would suffer a lower perceived total compared to the other games. The best way would have the lists a year later and have multiple categories for judging, but who cares about the Call of Duty games a year after its release?