With the pandemic and the shift to hybrid work patterns, the last few years have seen a drastic increase in the number of players in Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games.
This then begs the question of which of the established MMOs from last year had the highest number of players.
Along with the number of total players, one must also consider the number of active users.
It doesn’t matter how many players have the game, especially if it’s free if none of them is playing it.
Therefore, without further ado, here are the biggest MMOs from 2021.
World of Warcraft
It’s hardly surprising to see World of Warcraft here, given the fantasy MMORPG more or less defined the genre and has been a household name for over a decade.
World of Warcraft had a total player population of 115 million last year, which is a staggering figure that shows just how many people have tried out what the game has to offer.
However, despite this substantial figure, the game only had 2,1 million active players.
This should not be unexpected given the game’s age, as many players will own a copy, but only occasionally play the game when new content comes out
Additionally, World of Warcraft’s latest expansion Shadowlands, though successful, was not received well by all fans and Blizzard’s recent issues have not helped the problem.
Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn
Final Fantasy is among the most well known Japanese gaming franchises and has garnered a great deal of success.
Its online entry and fourteenth instalment had a rough launch, but after releasing A Realm Reborn, a remaster of the release game, Final Fantasy 14 has become a staple for many MMO players.
Last year it had 28 million total players with a staggering 2,7 million active users, an extremely impressive indication of the game’s current popularity
Final Fantasy 14 also benefited from a large number of World of Warcraft players migrating to the game.
However extensive this migration was, or permanent, remains to be seen, it certainly contributed to its high number of active players.
Old School Runescape
Another veteran MMO, Old School Runescape, is a version of the classic 2007 game that was released for PC in 2013
Due to its age and committed community, Runescape managed to have 31 million total players last year.
Its active users were less impressive than FF14 but solid at 1,7 million.
This is undoubtedly a product of a long-standing dedicated set of fans consistently playing the game.
Path of Exile
Path of Exile is a well-established Diablo-like MMO that has built a dedicated and active PC player base.
Thanks to constant content updates and a massive amount of available content, the game achieved 25 million total players and an impressive 1,1 million active users in 2021.
This figure will likely remain persistent into this year as there is little indication that the game’s audience will grow tired of what it offers.
New World
The newest entry on this list, New World, is the first MMO game from Amazon Games Studios and had a successful launch that garnered it a healthy player base.
The release of the game in 2021 earned the game 11,9 million total players and 1,1 million active players last year.
However, the title has since seen a drop in its player base over concerns for the game’s endgame content and overall gameplay loop.
Whether it can achieve such a level of players this year remains to be seen.
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