Nielsen has issued a year-end look at the most popular trends among Americans during 2008, covering everything from the top TV programs to the most popular consumer packaged goods.
Sony's Playstation 2 was the top game console of 2008, claiming 31.7% of all measured console minutes, according to Nielsen. The Xbox 360 and Wii ranked second and third, respectively, with 17.2% and 13.4% of all usage minutes between January and October of this year.
Blizzard Entertainment's "World of Warcraft" was the most popular PC game title of the year, drawing an average of 0.723% of all PC gamers per minute between January and October 2008.
Among mobile gamers, "Tetris" was the top game for Q3 2008, in terms of share of revenue.
Top 10 PC Game Titles: U.S.
| Rank | Game Title | Publisher | AU% | Average Minutes Played Per Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | World of Warcraft | Blizzard Entertainment | 0.723% | 671 |
| 2 | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Activision | 0.163% | 403 |
| 3 | Halo: Combat Evolved | Microsoft Game Studios | 0.092% | 295 |
| 4 | Sims, The | Electronic Arts Inc. | 0.09% | 213 |
| 5 | Sims 2, The | Electronic Arts Inc. | 0.086% | 291 |
| 6 | RuneScape | Jagex Ltd. | 0.084% | 451 |
| 7 | Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment | 0.065% | 313 |
| 8 | Team Fortress 2 | Valve | 0.063% | 371 |
| 9 | Counter-Strike | Sierra Studios | 0.062% | 282 |
| 10 | Counter-Strike: Source | Valve | 0.061% | 426 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company (January - October 2008). Note: AU% is the percent of PC Gamers playing title in the average minute. | ||||
Top 10 Mobile Games By Revenue Share: U.S. - Q3 2008
| Rank | Game | Share of Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tetris | 7.0% |
| 2 | Bejeweled | 4.0% |
| 3 | Guitar Hero III | 3.6% |
| 4 | Wheel of Fortune | 2.6% |
| 5 | PAC-MAN | 2.5% |
| 6 | The Oregon Trail | 1.9% |
| 7 | Ms. PAC-MAN | 1.7% |
| 8 | Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? | 1.6% |
| 8 | Tetris Mania | 1.6% |
| 9 | Surviving High School | 1.2% |
| Source: The Nielsen Company (July - September 2008). | ||
| "Note: Data is based on carrier-billed revenue at the top four U.S. carriers. Data includes post-paid, personally liable lines only." | ||
Top Video Game Consoles By Usage
| Rank | Console | Usage Minutes % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PlayStation 2 | 31.7 |
| 2 | Xbox 360 | 17.2 |
| 3 | Wii | 13.4 |
| 4 | Xbox | 9.7 |
| 5 | PlayStation 3 | 7.3 |
| 6 | GameCube | 4.6 |
| 7 | Other | 16.2 |
| Source: The Nielsen Company (January - October 2008). Note: Usage Minutes % is the percent of all measured console minutes. "Other" consists of any other console systems found in the home. | ||
View the press release.
Read coverage of Nielsen's findings in Forbes.
Relive the greatest hits of 2008 -- stay tuned on Nielsen Wire for more Tops In 2008 coverage.
Look ahead to the new year with Nielsen Wire's 2009 Industry Outlook series.