This last year has seen nDreams create one of the most successful free-to-play online projects to date. With one million unique players and just under seven million visits so far to the floating islands, Aurora is reaching new heights – the game is now integrating PS Home gameplay with online leagues, a move that saw over 400,000 people taking part.
Eve Online (CCP)
Having maintained steady growth for nine years, Eve Online has established itself as heavyweight in the MMO domain. The studio is also bridging into meta-game territory with the release of PS3’s DUST 514 in which events have the potential to influence the political goings on in Eve Online and vice versa.
Monstermind (Bossa Studios)
In creating the first real time player-vs-player game on Facebook, Bossa Studios set a high standard. Users have to defend their small American towns against hordes of attacking giant B-movie monsters. The studio also recently launched a campaign mode for the game that sees players competing on leaderboards.
Minecraft 360 (4J Studios/Mojang Specifications)
Having sold around six million copies on PC, Minecraft made the transition to the Xbox Live Arcade like an incredibly profitable duck to water. Most innovative was replicating the free server-based model in the otherwise constrained console world.
PlayStation Home (SCE)
In the last year Sony advanced the Home engine to the degree that it can now be a platform for advanced first person shooters such as Bootleggers’ 29. Sony has also continued to lend support to developers, involving both them in planning new features.
Trials Evolution (Red Lynx)
Red Lynx caused Microsoft servers a whole host of trouble when more than 100,000 copies of Trials Evolution were downloaded on the game’s first day of sale. And inside? A deeper online experience than that found in its predecessor with head-to-head private matches and more.
This team-based title from Wargaming.net has made ripples in the MMO sphere after registering 24 million players since its debut. With servers across the world sending tankmen into over 350 million battles to date, this rapidly growing title has cemented its place in games culture.