In the MMO trends for August, a clear picture emerges: The favorites are increasing their playtime. Leading the way are Diablo 3 and Hearthstone. However, some smaller titles are also achieving notable successes.
Please note: The statistics we have here reflect the play hours that users of the Raptr program spent on PC in various games during August. This is not an objective top 20, but trends can be discerned from these numbers, showing how the games performed compared to the previous month of July.
August was a good month for gaming. Playtime increased by about 9.4%.
The Rich Get Richer
And the big fish in the pond benefited significantly. League of Legends increased by 9% on an already sky-high level. Dota 2 gained 20%.
Also, World of Warcraft managed to recover somewhat from the more difficult times (rather surprisingly), gaining 8.7%. One of the first “big winners” comes with World of Tanks in 5th place. They increased by 18%.
Good Month for Blizzard
August was a strong month for Blizzard. They benefited from new game content. The Diablo 3 Patch 2.3 and the new Season 4 really brought life back to hell, with playtime shooting up by 91%. Let’s see how long the fresh embers keep the fire of enthusiasm burning.
Also, Hearthstone received a fresh expansion with the big tournament, consuming 30% more playtime in August.
Smite and Heroes of the Storm Struggling
Things don’t look so good for the “still in the race” MOBAs. Heroes of the Storm lost 8.9% of play hours despite all of Blizzard’s efforts.
The action MOBA Smite dropped out of the Top 10, losing 32.5% of playtime. That’s what you get when you’re in a genre with LoL and Dota 2.
Warframe, SWTOR, Final Fantasy 14 Holding Strong
Interest in Final Fantasy XIV remains strong with Heavensward. After a strong gain in July, the fantasy MMORPG FF14 climbed another rank in August. However, this trend may halt as the next patch is not expected until early November. Players are complaining: it is currently boring.
Also, Warframe and Star Wars: The Old Republic recorded significant increases in August. Thus, Star Wars: The Old Republic remains one of the success stories in 2015 despite all the naysayers. And that, even though the big bang, the expansion Knights of the Fallen Empire is still awaited. The stars are favorable for Star Wars: There is a new movie coming up.
MMORPGs – Missing
MMORPGs like The Elder Scrolls Online, ArcheAge, WildStar, or Guild Wars 2 are not in the Top 20.
- In the case of The Elder Scrolls Online, one might have expected to see it again after the buy-to-play transition. However, interest seems to have shifted to consoles.
- With Guild Wars 2, people are spending the year 2015 so far waiting for “Heart of Thorns.” It may take a while before we see any signs of movement here. Only in December, when the November numbers are available, should one expect a return.
- ArcheAge has been out for a while after a rapid success story; a return would be surprising.
- WildStar left the Top 20 regions a long time ago. If something happens due to the free-to-play transition at WildStar next Tuesday, that would certainly be a success.
Let’s wait and see what next month looks like when the data from September is available.
