The year is 2016. The gaming industry thrives. Four giants reign supreme: Sony’s PlayStation 4, with its classic and powerful feel; Microsoft’s Xbox One, with a supreme combination of versatility and multi-platform connectivity; Steam’s over-packed catalogue of PC games. Just around the corner taunts a daunting array of brand-new console updates. The PS4 Neo and the Xbox One S threaten to break the industry from its usual policy of sitting on a console for more than a few years. Let’s not forget that even Nintendo has the NX lined up for release with a fresh-looking Zelda game. In an industry that truly proves adaptability is survivability, one wonders if keeping up is actually a worthwhile solution. Considering that with each new game, a percent of the population shifts from playing old ones to the new ones, it may affect how games are played if they are left behind.
It's interesting to see just how popular new games are, and what platforms people play them on. Of course, there isn’t exactly a strict comparison between all platforms. We all know Nintendo doesn’t focus on the online multiplayer aspect of its games, so it is a somewhat biased comparison.
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Meanwhile, Steam shares a list of top player bases, which comes in daily peak as well as current versions. Most recently, Dota, Counter-Strike and Team Fortress are titles that hold the highest amounts of gamers. These numbers are highly subject to change since gaming events and such can occur on different days, rather than on a weekly basis.
Weekly comparisons are more for the Sony types, anyway; the list on that site shows that No Man’s Sky, Overwatch and Neverwinter are most popular.
Now, it seems this method of comparison has fallen flat, as Microsoft’s Xbox player base simply couldn’t be accessed.
Nice job, guys. I actually wasn't looking for Elder Scrolls, but thanks anyway.
So, this might not amount to much more than a series of numbers. However, it’s important to remember that these platforms are competing every day with each other. One little slip-up and the player bases shift. Take developer EA, for example.
In June of 2014, online services for the ever-popular Star Wars Battlefront II were shut down. Steamcharts reflected this, as the average number of players grew to a first-time peak the month prior to shutdown, with an average player count of 992.3. Post shut-down, the player base suffered more negative growth than positive. Then, once the trailer for the new Star Wars Battlefront was released in April, the base reached a new high. December 2015, after the release of the new game, the average player count reached 1648.8, the highest it has ever been.
This showcases the movements of gamers throughout servers, flowing in and out based primarily on other game developments. This also speaks worlds about how developers decide to manage their servers. Perhaps if Star Wars Battlefront II had a higher average player count, they would not have shut down its servers.
This is food for thought for anyone stuck in post-generation gaming; is it truly worth it to upgrade to newer video games? The answer depends on whether one judges a game by its player base, or prefers to play offline.
For example, a gamer with a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops might consider purchasing Call of Duty: Black Ops III if they find that they have connectivity issues while playing online. However, if they enjoy the campaign, solo Nazi Zombies, and/or fighting against bots, they should save their money.
The gaming industry revolves around one thing: it's gamers. Without them, a game can suffer a low player base or even have its servers shut down.
