Elden Ring doesn't come close to being the most-played game of the year

Date:
Thu, 26 May 2022 04:00:00 +0000

Description:
FromSoftware's latest action RPG may have taken the world by storm, but new data shows it's far from being the most-played game of the year.

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For all its popularity, Elden Ring isnt close to being the most-played game
of the year and is unlikely to clinch the title by the time 2022 wraps up.

Thats according to Mat Piscatella, the executive director and video game industry advisor at market research firm NPD. Elden Ring s commercial popularity was brought into stark comparison when Piscatella shared a list of the top 10 most-played games in the US during the first quarter of this year on Twitter (thanks, GamesRadar ).

The list includes several mammoth titles that have dominated the gaming industry since their release, such as Minecraft, GTA 5 , and Fortnite . Alongside them are massive franchises and household names, including Call of Duty: Vanguard , Warzone , The Sims 4, and Among Us.

A couple of sports games also made it into the top 10 NBA 2K22 and Madden
NFL 22 alongside Animal Crossing: New Horizons . As Piscatella highlights, half of the top 10 most-played games of the year so far werent released this decade, and Elden Ring isnt among them.

Elden Ring is reportedly ranked 20th in the list, behind multiplayer games like World of Warcraft and Rocket League, as well as major single-player titles such as Skyrim. Piscatellas list doesnt include absolute figures of
the games estimated player counts, nor does it disclose the sample size used to generate the findings. (Image credit: Bandai Namco) Dont be surprised

Elden Ring may have sold over 13 million copies, mesmerized critics, and
taken the world by storm, but its hardly surprising that it hasnt clinched a top spot in the most-played games list. Not only did it release as recently
as February this year, but the highest-performing titles are those that are able to cement themselves in the gaming zeitgeist while reaching across audiences.

The big evergreen games, and the huge live-service games with deeply embedded social hooks, are gravity wells for player attention, time and spending, Piscatella says. New games big and small face a daunting challenge trying to break through.

Although Elden Rings standing might increase by the end of the year, its unlikely to break the top ten. As a primarily single-player game rated for mature audiences, itll never have the cross-audience appeal that Fortnite or Among Us enjoy. And while its Invasion mechanic is a novel approach to social gaming, the absence of live-service elements capable of regularly drawing
back players through seasons of new content means its highest sales period
has been and gone.

However, there are a few unexpected entries on the list. Call of Duty: Vanguard made it into the top 10, despite Activision previously expressing
its disappointment with the games sales figures , which were down 36.1% on 2020s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War .

The popularity of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also fairly astonishing. Although a beloved series that resonates with people who arent usually lumped into broader gaming culture, New Horizons was released over two years ago. That its still able to command such a high player count says a lot about the attraction of social simulation games, as well as the commercial boost it received during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Remember, this list only details the most-played games in the US. The popularity of games in other regions would look very different, although we expect Elden Ring still wouldnt be in the top 10. Did you know Elden Ring almost include weapon durability ?



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/elden-ring-doesnt-come-close-to-being-the-most- played-game-of-the-year/


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