Joystiq

Minecraft overtakes Modern Warfare 3 for most played on Xbox Live

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST

If you've yet to truly grasp the power of Minecraft, let this just sink in: Minecraft is now more popular than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox Live. According to the latest Xbox Live activity report from Major Nelson, Minecraft was the most popular game on the service for the week of October 15.

That puts it above Modern Warfare 3, which now sits at number 2. It also makes it more popular than several other huge names, including FIFA 13, Black Ops, Halo: Reach and Battlefield 3. The only other Arcade game to even break the top twenty is the recently launched Happy Wars, Xbox Live Arcade's first free-to-play game.

If you took a break from Minecraft to read this post, feel free to return to chopping down trees, building roller coasters or whatever you were doing.

Minecraft overtakes Modern Warfare 3 for most played on Xbox Live originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FEZ topped XBLA activity charts last week

David Hinkle — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST

Despite being released on a Friday, the long-awaited Fez topped the Xbox Live Arcade activity charts last week. We're just glad that so many people have discovered what we already know: Fez is a pretty good game. Skullgirls and I Am Alive came in second and third on the XBLA charts, respectively.

On the Xbox 360 retail game side, Major Nelson reports that Modern Warfare 3 yet again maintained dominance. It was followed by Black Ops and FIFA 12. If only some company could figure out a way to combine Call of Duty and soccer ... hey, it worked for Mega Man!

Finally, on the Games for Windows Live activity list - we're just kidding. Nobody cares about what's being played on Games for Windows Live.

FEZ topped XBLA activity charts last week originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Live activity last week: Battlefield 3 fails to topple Black Ops

Justin McElroy — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST

In a game industry where "We sold this many!" can mean "We put this many in a box and sent them to people!" hard comparisons of popularity can be tough. So even though it's not an ideal metric, we thought it at least worth mentioning that Battlefield 3 failed to take the top spot in the Xbox Live activity charts from Call of Duty: Black Ops in the week of Oct. 31.

Of course, Battlefield 3 was plagued by a multitude of technical problems in its opening week, which can't have helped its standing. We're far more interested in how it'll fair this week, when we'll also see if Modern Warfare 3 can bring down its predecessor in a way that Battlefield 3 failed to.

Live activity last week: Battlefield 3 fails to topple Black Ops originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From Dust breathes life into XBLA activity charts, followed by Bastion

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST

With a little help from the Summer of Arcade promotion, not to mention the involvement of gaming industry legend Eric Chahi, Xbox Live Arcade's From Dust managed to top Major Nelson's XBLA activity charts during its release week, followed by the previous week's offering, Bastion. It's so nice of them to fall in line like that! Like a bunch of obedient ducks, who are also downloadable video games.

As is usually the case with the activity charts, we don't know exactly how many full purchases From Dust managed to pull in. We can't be the only ones that enjoy destroying the whole world with a thousand natural disasters at once.

From Dust breathes life into XBLA activity charts, followed by Bastion originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Homefront debuts at #6 on Xbox Live charts

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:30:00 EST

Major Nelson has released the Xbox Live activity numbers for the week of March 14, and things are looking good for THQ's Homefront. After less than a week on the shelves, Homefront debuted at number six on the charts. While a far cry from the top spot (unsurprisingly occupied by Black Ops), it's still impressive for a brand new property, especially in its first week. Then again, given Homefront's sales figures, a strong showing on Xbox Live isn't too shocking.

On the Xbox Live Arcade front, newcomer Full House Poker took the top spot, with Runic's Torchlight coming in second. The XBLA version of Battle: Los Angeles, despite a complete lack of marketing, landed in third. Oh, you hadn't heard? Yes, there totally is a Battle: Los Angeles game on XBLA.

Homefront debuts at #6 on Xbox Live charts originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sonic Adventure climbs, Dead Rising 2 tops Xbox Live Activity charts

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

After a poor, not-even-in-the-top-10 opening week for the XBLA version of Sonic Adventure, some worried that Sega might lose its interest in bringing more Dreamcast classics to the platform. However, it seems that contrary to the nature of its blue, pointy protagonist, Sonic Adventure is just a slow starter -- it placed fourth in this week's top Arcade sales. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero held down its spot at the top of the list, while DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue managed to debut in second.

Halo: Reach managed to wrestle the top spot on the Xbox Live Activity chart from Modern Warfare 2 -- where it will likely remain for a good long time. At least, until Call of Duty: Black Ops makes a run for the throne. Ooooh, this is going to be so exciting! Check out the full Xbox Live weekly rankings after the jump.

Continue reading Sonic Adventure climbs, Dead Rising 2 tops Xbox Live Activity charts

Sonic Adventure climbs, Dead Rising 2 tops Xbox Live Activity charts originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday Night Combat grabs XBLM charts by the Moneyball

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Following the trend of Summer of Arcade titles landing in the top spot on the XBLA sales charts during their release weeks, Monday Night Combat was top dog on last week's chart, which was released by Major Nelson. The online shooter also placed a respectable 11th on the Xbox Live Activity chart, leaps and bounds ahead of all other XBLA titles. Additionally, Limbo held its own with a second-place finish on the sales charts, one spot ahead of the more recent Castlevania: Harmony of Despair.

Meanwhile, Baby Maker Extreme slipped to fourth on the Indie Games chart. Now we're going to be worried about it all week. Click past the jump to see how the rest of the console's offerings fared.

Continue reading Monday Night Combat grabs XBLM charts by the Moneyball

Monday Night Combat grabs XBLM charts by the Moneyball originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Castlevania: Harmony of Despair whips up a first place finish on XBLA charts

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:20:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Though the game received some middling reviews, it seems Xbox Live Marketplace browsers couldn't resist the appeal of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair's retro charms -- or its status as a Summer of Arcade title. The multiplayer monster slayer placed first on the Arcade purchases charts for the week of August 2, though it only claimed the number 15 spot for overall online activity.

To see how the rest of the Summer of Arcade contenders did, just check out the lists posted after the jump.

Continue reading Castlevania: Harmony of Despair whips up a first place finish on XBLA charts

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair whips up a first place finish on XBLA charts originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Limbo tops weekly Xbox Live Arcade sales charts

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Major Nelson's weekly dispatch of Xbox Live Arcade sales and activity rankings had an unlikely frontrunner: Playdead's $15 art house platformer, Limbo. The title took first place in the Arcade sales category, and tenth place in overall Live activity, beating out fellow recent XBLA releases Hydro Thunder: Hurricane, Deadliest Warrior and DeathSpank. It could not, however, do anything to stop Baby Maker Extreme from exerting its dominance on the Top Indie Games category. Perhaps nothing ever will.

Click past the jump to see all the XBLA rankings for the week of July 26.

Continue reading Limbo tops weekly Xbox Live Arcade sales charts

Limbo tops weekly Xbox Live Arcade sales charts originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox Live Top 20: Modern Warfare 2, After Burner Climax reign supreme

Xav de Matos — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:15:00 EST

Microsoft's Major Nelson has released his weekly report of Xbox Live activity today, featuring Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 and Sega's After Burner Climax in the top spot. With one last activity update to be released before the Halo: Reach beta, we anticipate an upcoming fight in Xbox Live list's top three. Bungie's 2010 release Halo 3 secured second place for the sixteenth week in a row with EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 closing out this week's three-hole.

On the Xbox Live Arcade list, the collective biomass of classic arcade titles solidified Game Room in second place for a second week in a row while Capcom's Final Fight: Double Impact closing out the top three. Other notable highlights include Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Conviction jumping from ninth spot to sixth and EA Sports' FIFA 10 overtaking Call of Duty: World at War for fourth spot. The full breakdown can be found at Major Nelson's blog.

Xbox Live Top 20: Modern Warfare 2, After Burner Climax reign supreme originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RE 5 shambles up the Live charts, WaW back on top

Richard Mitchell — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:30:00 EST

Major Nelson has posted the latest Xbox Live activity and it looks like the constant tug of war has shifted away from Halo 3 and back to Call of Duty: World at War. The World War II shooter is once again at the top of the charts, followed by Halo 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Meanwhile, whilst the big contenders are distracted, Resident Evil 5 has crept up to fourth place, much like its Majini antagonists. It appears that Gears of War 2 and GTAIV are the first victims of RE5's upward march, with the titles falling to fifth and sixth place, respectively. Halo Wars keeps seventh place, FIFA 09 moves up to eighth, pushing Left 4 Dead to ninth. Street Fighter IV drops from the top ten entirely thanks to the return of Guitar Hero World Tour, which grabs spot number ten.

Given that Resident Evil 5 debuted on a Friday, it's not surprising that it's managed to gain a few spots now that it's had a full week of exposure. The question is whether Resident Evil 5, with its comparatively limited online offerings, will maintain is position on the charts.

RE 5 shambles up the Live charts, WaW back on top originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Major Nelson reveals top 20 Xbox Live games and arcade downloads

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online

Well, that was entirely unexpected. How, in a year chock-full of incredible Xbox Live-enabled releases, did Yaris manage to not only be the most downloaded XBLA title of 2008, but also place first on the annual Xbox Live activity charts? We could have sworn that those accomplishments would have gone to Castle Crashers and Halo 3, respectively! What's that? They did, but we thought we'd distort the truth because we haven't made a Yaris joke in a while? Oh, thank God.

Yes, Major Nelson recently released the final Xbox Live statistics for 2008 -- Halo 3 dominated the overall Xbox Live activity chart (followed by CoD 4 and GTA IV), and Castle Crashers was the top downloaded XBLA title of the year (in front of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 and Braid). We've got both of the totally unsurprising lists posted after the jump, as well as the top Live titles from the original Xbox, the winner of which will straight-up blow your mind.

Continue reading Major Nelson reveals top 20 Xbox Live games and arcade downloads

Major Nelson reveals top 20 Xbox Live games and arcade downloads originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gears 2 stagnant on Xbox Live activity chart despite DLC

Ross Miller — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:58:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

That Combustible map pack didn't seem to ignite much passion into Gears of War 2, as the shoe-in for Best Shooter Involving a Chain Saw-infused Rifle Award remains numero quartro on the Xbox Live activity chart for last week. The game was also 4th place the week prior, and 3rd place for two consecutive weeks before that. Far from being a bad position, but it's certainly not dominating the service like its predecessor.

Staying strong at top is Halo 3, followed by the Call of Duty: World at War and CoD4, respectively. The promotional Dash of Destruction managed to take 6th place, and somehow bumped Fallout 3 from 8th to oblivion. Full list after the break.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Continue reading Gears 2 stagnant on Xbox Live activity chart despite DLC

Gears 2 stagnant on Xbox Live activity chart despite DLC originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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