League of Legends Played Almost 1.3 Billion Hours This Year

Written by: (@MikeSchaffnit) | July 12, 2012 11:40 am
92 Comments

It appears that there has been a shift in the eSports world that might mean the current king of gaming has been overthrown.

New data coming in from Xfire officially places League of Legends as the most played PC game in North America and Europe. Additionally, since it’s also beating out Starcraft 2 in South Korea, it’s safe to say that League of Legends is here to stay!

The latest report shows PC gamers logging almost 1.3 Billion hours in League of Legends over the last year. That number, in comparison to World of Warcraft, is twice as many hours logged, which comes in at a little over 600 Million.

It is important to remember these numbers are generated from the samples of users who are actually using the Xfire service. These are not definitive numbers that are representative of every PC gamer out there. However, what it does give us is a look at a select “focus group” of PC gamers that does not discriminate based on game preference.

No matter what way you want to look at it, it’s undeniable that Riot Games is creating a juggernaut of a game. One that is so massive that it’s sure to make a long lasting ripple effect on games for the future.

Drop a comment and let us know what you think.

League of Legends Played Almost 1.3 Billion Hours This Year
  • http://twitter.com/willypallen William Allen

    I love it. I’m not playing LoL anymore, but I really enjoyed my time there. I still watch pro matches and streams because it is a great spectator sport as well.

  • http://twitter.com/SwarmAM Swarm AM

    Not everyone uses xfire….

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      And we say this in both the article AND the video. And now I guess in the comments too!

  • http://www.facebook.com/CumCake Oystein Jenssen

    But Xfire is more used to stream LoL. WoW isnt actually a game you would stream that much :) Just sayin’

  • http://www.facebook.com/roger.horvath.3 Roger Horvath

    Does it really count? Its not an mmo

    • http://twitter.com/crocodilius ryan phillips

      did you read what you just wrote? you said it’s not a massively multiplayer online….

      • kivri

        Most people with any intelligence are aware that when people call something an MMO, 95% of the time it is short for MMORPG. Even if you weren’t aware of that, you could assume that based on the fact that LoL is being compared to WoW, which is an MMORPG. I know some people lose their intelligence when they log online, but come on.

        • http://twitter.com/crocodilius ryan phillips

          it’s ok that you lost your intelligence kivri, but if you don’t consider league of legends claimed numbers “massive” then i think you need a lobotomy.

          • Imtabca

            10 players is not “massively multiplayer”.
            However, if you want to define ”massively multiplayer” by the size of the games player base…  well then there are an awful lot of MMOs and MMO would then just refers to a games popularity and not its genre.

          • kivri

            It’s not an RPG. MMORPGs should not be compared to MMORTSs. The point the original commenter was making is that because they are entirely different genres, you can’t compare them as games.

            It’s okay sweetheart, you’ll hit the nail on the head next time I’m sure.

  • http://twitter.com/SilverTaurusPL SilverTaurus

    As said the numbers are only for XFire users.. but I dont agree that this sample is realy meaningfull.
    XFire users are very “specific” group of people who plays multiple number of games (usualy). For example WoW users are usualy (? – in big part) those who play JUST WoW .. they dont use neither XFire not anything like it.
    So IMO this comparison is not showing “how those game are doing”, but how its played in this group of people who still play a bunch of games at same time.

  • Electrum -

    I didn’t read the article or watch the video but you forgot to mention that this is just xfire.

  • http://twitter.com/Zedris Zedris

    why would people that play wow,star,or diablo use xfire? that makes no sense. i would put money that these numbers are so wrong. and another logical point LoL is populated by 13 year olds. if they get home at 4 study 2 hours that gives them what 3 hours to play before bed time? le logic=wrong numbers

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      As opposed to college students who get got to class for 4 hours a day or people in the working word who work 8 hours a day and then spend the rest of their waking life logged into world of warcraft? 

      I’m pretty sure by that logic the numbers are more in favor for WoW.

      • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

        Hard to say, while you could in WoW sit in Org or SW being social (or trolling) for hours on end.  Actual raiding sessions seem to run 3-4 hours.  Where LoL game play style allows for much longer gameplay. 

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/IJ6MP6E3IIEC5TYLUK7BMRDU4Y Dante

     They aren’t taking many factors in consideration. This year will be the year of the Moba/Action RTS.

    Blizzard All-stars. Dota 2. SMITE. I know for a fact. Those games will cannibalize LoL. Mostly because many of these also free 2 play games (Not pay 2 win). The games mentioned proceed to innovate on the genre where Riot hasn’t. Communication systems, Player Created skins, game-play mechanics and more.

    Honestly. Id be very surprised if LoL survived this coming year at all. Big players (Blizzard, Valve & Hi-Rez) are stepping up. In one very specific case (Inside Info). One of those companies is very much pissed off that they held most popular played MOD and lacked the ability to execute it into a game.

    Ask ya self? What do these companies have that Riot doesn’t? Man-Power, Creativity, and most importantly…Money.

    GG Riot. Had chance to innovate. Ya didn’t. Now eat dust. =)

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      Trust me… Riot has more money than they know what to do with

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JD5RIAPTFFZFIF3DCNYVVG7NIQ Kyle Bohannon

       ive played both dota and lol and i have to say, just from my perspective, the balance lies in lol. i dont think the dota champions are balanced near as well as lol is, but again thats just my opinion.

      i dont think smite and dota 2 will gut lol at all, there might be some people jump ship but to claim that lol will be cannibalized i think is a bit of an over statement. however if riot doesnt get their server stability under control during patches and what have you then you may very well see people leave.

    • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

      You really think LoL is going away. While it is not my game, the gamers seem to enjoy playing it for hours on end.  It’s business model seems to be solid, make the game free to play and sell new game items to the playerbase.  Got to figure there is a critical mass where gamers will no longer purchase game items, but that seem like a long ways off.

  • http://twitter.com/crocodilius ryan phillips

    1. warcraft isn’t dead. 2. no one is forced to spend  $ on league of legends.
    this vlog is a severe point of view twist.
    if it’s most played, that’s fine but the only thing it has a chance to kill is dota2.

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      I don’t we stated ANYWHERE that warcraft was dead. Being knocked from the #1 spot (if you choose to use these Xfire numbers) is hardly saying the game is dead. 

      And I don’t see why LoL’s business model is an excuse for it to not give the credit it’s earned. The F2P market is growing and we can visually see the impact it is having on the gaming industry

      • German Lopez

        I think saying something is a “killer” implies that something else is dying. I don’t know, though. That just seems like English 101 to me.

      • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

        Now Mike, did you not read the headline you used.  You called LoL the WoW-Killa.  That implied that WoW was dead, killed by LoL.

        No need to get defensive.

        • http://twitter.com/crocodilius ryan phillips

          notice how the headline is now changed? cute.

      • http://twitter.com/inkogni Alex

        Mike, Mike. If your not #1 it means your product is dead.
        love how the internet thinks

  • Sharuko

    LoL is not going to exponentially increase it is safe to say it has hit its peak.  Why?  Because games like DOTA 2, Blizzard All-Stars and Smite will take players away from LoL and they are coming out soon.

    It is funny how it is all of a sudden a “F2P shift” when DOTA and other games in the genre were always free to play. I wonder if people were talking about a “subscription shift” when WoW was the top game played.

    • Jay

       A “shift” means that it’s going from one thing to another… If there was no other model as popular as subscriptions for MMOs, then there’s nothing to “shift” to. However, since subscriptions have been the most popular model for so long (I believe EQ really gave the genre serious recognition), moving to F2P being more popular would indeed be a “shift”.

      I hope I shed some light on the situation for you.

      • Sharuko

        What does this have to do with MMOs? This is XFire rankings not MMO rankings. If this was MMO rankings WoW would still be first.  

        If you look at XFire rankings F2P and B2P titles were always on top, WoW was the only subscription game that was in the top 10.  So WoW is the exception.  Subscriptions were exception.

        Hope I made it simple enough for you to understand, if not I can simplify it further let me know.

        • Jay

           Lol you’re the one who doesn’t understand the simple concept of a shift…. You mad?

          Cmon Sharuko… Cmon…

          • Sharuko

            Well you clearly seem lost because the Xfire rankings are not MMOs only, I don’t see why you went off on a MMO tangent? 

          • Jay

             Isn’t WOW an MMO? Isn’t WOW in the title of the video? They’re comparing LOL numbers to WOW (an MMO) in the video… The “shift” from a subscription *MMO* being on top to a F2P game is what the video is about.

            Did we watch the same video?

          • Sharuko

            What part of “WoW is an exception” didn’t you understand?

            Combine the total time spent using XFire for subscription based games to f2p/b2p games and f2p and b2p games would always dominate and have been forever.

          • Jay

             You can’t just exclude whichever games you feel like… It’s a part of the numbers, the video was mainly talking about WOW… Just because Tera isn’t worth comparing to any other games, don’t be mad at me. I actually comment on the videos instead of spewing random self-centered foolish propaganda.

            I know you wanted a “shift” of interest in GW2 to Tera, but that just won’t happen. :(

          • http://twitter.com/H3L1ON Samir

            haha, you utterly destroyed him with that comment xD

            common Sharuko stop making up numbers and keep to the content given in the discussion/ video 

          • Sharuko

            I know what the video was talking about, but my comment was based on the reference to a “shift towards F2P.”

            Propaganda?  This is propaganda ”INB4 the Break stating GW2 has clocked more hours than WOW in a year. :3
            Great game + No subscription = Win in this economy.”

            Tera doesn’t support XFire, for Tera stats see Raptr.

  • http://www.facebook.com/aperegrina Alejandro Daniel Peregrina

    The reason people are getting all upset is because you guys like to say things like “WoW Killer!”. Even if it’s being used playfully, you’re going to get people who are immediately upset once they realize your joking.

    So maybe not start the video off with “WOW KILLER!” then just go, haha yeah just kidding. People just play this game alot.

  • http://twitter.com/inkogni Alex

    in your face BLIZZARD, good job Riot :D :P ^_^ 
    this made me smile, like the game

  • http://www.facebook.com/Hard.Candy.Boy Leo Garcia

    ooooooo poor blizz fangirls are butthurt

    stop finding excuses wow got OWNED you r no more the “king”

    GZ LoL fck you wow

  • http://www.facebook.com/kparrott Kimberly Parrott

    Free to play = win

  • http://www.facebook.com/kparrott Kimberly Parrott

    Not saying WoW is a beast but any free to play game will trump a pay to play

  • http://www.facebook.com/toph1980 Christopher Fischer

    Wait, what? Since when was WoW the most played game in the world? lol

    • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

      Go figure, Xfire listed WoW as the number 1 played game last year.

  • Shagral

    So the numbers are basically pulled out of someone’s ass. The trend itself has more to do with WoW sucking than LoL rocking, in my opinion anyway…

    • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

      nay, more like only 11k of Xfire registered users play WoW.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/WZ324KCWGCMJENR2ZFFTCK3QP4 Blaze

    all the blizzard fan boyz have sand in there vagina

    • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

      nah, just pissing glass and crapping razor blades on how biased the news articles headlines come across.

  • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

    If you look that the Xfire charts, the WoW numbers are trending nicely.

    Of the 11,664 registered Xfire users who play WoW, they seem to be playing WoW 10,000 hours more per day than a month ago.   That is clearly imressive, considering the patch is winding down.

    • Jay

       You love you some WOW, don’t ya? :)

      • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

        Yes I do. Really enjoy playing my Tauren Resto Druid and Goblin Arcane Mage.

        Looking forward to my Charr Elementalist in GW2.  Maybe an Asura Warrior, Sylvari Necro, Norn Engineer  -  just not sure yet.

        RIP, my Sith Inquistor.  Not sure if I can ever play her again.

        • Jay

           Lol my Jedi Shadow is collecting dust… I’ll probably end up with an Asuran Warrior as well. Sylvari Thief will most likely be my main.

          • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

            I do hear the GW2 Thief rocks if you got the skill to play him.

            For MoP, im adding a Panda Hunter and Undead Monk.

          • iamthemikeb

            Dularr is troll proof

  • Morturion

    Who’d imagine that the WoW-killer wouldn’t even be a MMORPG.
    *Removes trollface*
    I think more ppl play LoL because you dont need to stick such huge amounts of time in it to have fun. In WoW you need a lot of time to collect gear untill you can be usefull and actively particepate in PvP or PvE.

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      Outside of the argument of who play’s using what and MMO vs MOBA, I completely agree with you on this statement. I for one greatly enjoy being able to play a game for an hour and enjoy all the same as those who have spent hundred of hours in the game.

  • Dekin

    I cant read LoL because in my head I say Laugh out Loud…lol….by lol I mean lol and not LoL….

    If you look at the numbers, I may be wrong if I am I’ll get a reply I’m sure,….WoWs 10 million some odd players are mostly not American/EU right? American/EU is like 1/4 of that player base. WoW is a big deal…but its not that big a deal…when all is said and done WoW is just the facebook of the gamer world.

    I beleive in a world where people play MMO’s because they are fun and not because they are Hipster Cool….

    …anyone seen my sock hat?

    • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

      Last time WoWs numbers were published, WoW-west was just under 5 million subs and WoW-east was just over 5 millon subs.

      Gamers play WoW because its fun to play, gamers bash WoW because it’s the hipster cool thing to do.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1260066056 Steven Diaz

        I bash WoW because I just don’t like it.  Guess I’m unique, probably not though.

  • RolyVento

    League of Legends is fun, just wish it had more maps.

  • http://twitter.com/cyanpill cyanpill

    Hmmm, 600million hours/year for WoW, divide by 10million users, that means the average per user is 60hours a year? that’s only 10minutes a day.

    • http://twitter.com/MikeSchaffnit Mike Schaffnit

      you have to consider the fact that all 10 million users aren’t using Xfire. So it will skew the overall match in that calculation.

      • Jay

         Also a lot of people take long breaks from WOW. I personally took breaks 6 months at a time waiting for new content.

    • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

      Xfire list they only have 11k registered users playing WoW.

    • Karizee

      Well, it doesn’t account for Chinese players so that’s half the playerbase right there.  So divide that 600mil hrs by 5 million, then account for all the people that have more than one account, then factor in that most people don’t play everyday.  My guild was downing H Madness in ~2hrs one night a week b4 I quit.  See?  Now you’re getting close.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nappie-Chappy/100002672280733 Nappie Chappy

    This just proves how bad the economy is.

  • Jay

    INB4 the Break stating GW2 has clocked more hours than WOW in a year. :3

    Great game + No subscription = Win in this economy.

    • http://profile.yahoo.com/7MPGC5FCQJZGFKICKCMALR3AYY Eric

      = Win in ANY economy. It’s beyond human nature, just nature in general, taking the path of least resistance. Why work for something (i.e. pay a sub) when you can get it for free?

      • Jay

         I agree for the most part, but that subscription money can sure help offset these high gas prices. Also, F2P (and B2P) wasn’t really known for providing a quality experience until more recently.

        I rather pay a sub for a better product, but obviously there’s no logical reason to pay more for an equal or inferior product. *cough*WhyI’mplayingGW2insteadofWOW

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Brandon-Carpenter/100003272493739 Brandon Carpenter

          haha well said.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steve-Lazarowitz/100000420795554 Steve Lazarowitz

          Except that you don’t necessarily GET a better product paying a sub. Many of the strategies that sub based games give you make you grind, delay you, slow you down. Crafting as an example. I want to craft 50 of something, might as well go make lunch. In a B2P game like Guild Wars 2, the more of something you make, the faster it goes. Flight paths take forever, instead of instant travel. It really doesn’t add to the game, though people defend it. Lockouts on raids and dungeons, all done to slow you down, all because of a subscription. And don’t get me started on gear grind.
          People keep talking about how popular WoW is. WoW is clearly the most popular MMO, but it’s not nearly the most popular game, because many gamers DON’T enjoy MMOs. This is partly because so far the choices of MMOs have been B2W f2p games or subscription games that slow you down.The MMO genre will evolve, no matter what happens and when it does, you’ll see more companies providing games that are centered around fun, instead of waiting and grinding. And then more people will flood the MMO market and it will cease to be niche (which it clearly still is).

          • Jay

             Yup, exactly my point… No reason to pay a sub, when it means you’ll have to deal with time sinks made specifically to boost profits. Just buying the box has been a successful formula for video games for a long time, it’s about time it became the norm in the MMO genre as well. I think it frees developers to focus on fun instead of keeping you in the game longer due to time sink mechanics.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Brandon-Carpenter/100003272493739 Brandon Carpenter

    ”
     That number, in comparison to World of Warcraft, is twice as many hours logged, which comes in at a little over 600 Million.”

    Thanks to Athene for contributing 1/4 of that time!

  • Eggers

    First off LOL is not a MMO it is a MOBA which are two different type of games.  LOL is just a PvP game, not a MMO that gives players raid, questing, pvp, crafting, and more.  These are to completely different type of games.   Exsample MMOs  WoW, SWTOR, Rift, Eve, EQ, : exsample MOBAs , LOL DOTA, DOTA2, these are the same type of games at all.  MMOs with a subscription payment model will still work and we haven’t seen the peak because they offer more then the PvP that MOBAs do.  I know may people who play MMOs that will not PvP and therefore would never play LOL. 
    I think MOBA’s will be free to play, but with MMOs there 2 biggest payment models will be sub based and buy to play.

    • http://twitter.com/Krekentaur Robert Burke

      “MMO that gives players raid, questing, pvp, crafting, and more”=Theme park MMO.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1260066056 Steven Diaz

      No, you apparently haven’t been around the MMO scene for too long.  Most MMOs are actually F2P and that number is increasing while P2P is seeing a pretty big decline.  As for MOBA vs WoW, what’s the issue with comparing?  A F2P game has a substantial lead of hours played than the largest MMO on the planet.  No other game (regardless of what it was) ever came close to WoW’s numbers.  It’s still a pretty big deal.

  • DoctorOverlord

    Yeah but will South Park ever make a LoL episode?

  • http://twitter.com/TuxPants Mamoru Chiba

    It feels a lot cleaner keeping LoL running in it’s little window when you’re not playing that it does leaving WoW running. I always leave LoL running but only have WoW on during a play session. I wonder if a lot of other people are like that and if that might skew the results.

  • Karizee

    MikeB, you are getting far too much enjoyment from this  ;-)

  • http://www.facebook.com/ptabayoyong Paul Tabayoyong

    Very funny opening though I think maybe the joke is gonna be missed by most people. I like and play WoW. I like and play LoL. I play both and enjoy both. I like this site…. sometimes. There is something I have felt nagging at me every time I visit GB. So here goes.

    I was always under the impression that news was supposed to be unbiased and objective but it just feels way too subjective when I browse here sometimes. The people that do the shows are great though it seems some of them let their own preferences out a little much. I kinda hope more news is produced here without a play on a title instigating a flame war. Whether that was the intention or not I don’t even know anymore.

    • Trombu Tonkba Gumbeerbo

      Well if you give good news to everybody, then it doesn’t exactly hold them accountable for making their product worse, does it (you silly fuck) ?

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1260066056 Steven Diaz

      You apparently missed what GameBreaker is about.  They give their news and their opinion.  The world isn’t all about rainbows and ponies, some of their opinions are positive and some aren’t and that’s the way I like it and is the reason I come here.  Especially since they have such diverse opinions, which is perfect for those of us looking for different views.

    • http://www.facebook.com/liam.is.teh.bestist Liam Gormley

      News supposed to be unbiased? True, but if you’ve read many newspapers you’ll have noticed that all most of them do is push their own agendas and political ideals or publish sensationalistic one sided garbage. Truly objective news sources are incredibly rare and difficult to maintain. Hence most news papers are associated with being either conservative or liberal or left wing or right wing or just trashy tabloids or whatever.

      It takes a lot of experience for a journalist to consistently write totally objective pieces and even then it requires proof reading and censorship of every article for a news source to maintain a truly unbiased nature. I can only imagine it’s even more difficult to maintain objectivity whilst talking in videos and especially in live streams. So for a relatively small news group like gambreaker it’s easier and better to just report on things by giving their honest opinions, trying to make it as interesting and entertaining as they can, and then maintaining objectivity where possible. 

      Personally I think they do a perfectly decent job of maintaining reasonable objectivity all things considered. And at the end of the day they’re gamers reporting on video games lol, they’re always going to have their favourite games, sometimes that’s going to shine through, and it’s not the end of the world if they’re sometimes a little biased.  

  • Trombu Tonkba Gumbeerbo

    You know, even though I can’t ever play LoL so long as it still uses Pando Media Booster, it’s pretty great that there’s something else out there driving real fuckin’ competition. 

  • Trombu Tonkba Gumbeerbo

    Why did I even fuckin’ capitalize pando. FUCK — I’m such a self-defeating asshole.

  • Laborday

    Maybe finally Gamebreaker will have a dedicated MOBA show soon? 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jason-Quinn/504633100 Jason Quinn

    How is that possible? WoW has been out since 2004 with millions and millions of people, raiding every single night. Over all, WoW still wins.

    • Jay

       This is the first year LOL beat WOW… The article wasn’t about all time numbers. Like you said, WOW came out a long time ago… A lot of people are tired of it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Egon-Ruuda/100003585579462 Egon Ruuda

    Why is XFire relevant? I know noone that has that installed?

  • Senatic

    lol, stopped reading at “Xfire”.. Dear lord I don’t know a single person who has used that since like 2002. Is that service actually still running? And if it is, how the hell do they know? Do they secretely monitor every gamer in the world? Cus I can assure you a vast majority don’t even know what Xfire is.

  • http://www.facebook.com/liam.is.teh.bestist Liam Gormley

    To be honest this has been coming for a while now. It’s insane how popular LoL is. I don’t really get the level of attraction myself. I play occasionally but I just don’t find it as addictive as most people seem to. But then I never much liked WoW either… guess I’m just too bohemian for this sort of mainstream stuff haha.

  • http://twitter.com/Nathiest Nathiest

    I played it for about an hour found it to be awfully repetitive and boring. LoL more like ZzZzzzz

  • http://twitter.com/dularr Dularr

    So, sitting 6+ hours per day makes you up to 40% likelier to die within 15 years than someone who sits less than 3 hours. Even if you exercise.

    So raiding 3 hours per day in WoW is healthier than playing LoL for 6 hours.
    Love google.

  • Brett Dickinson

    and you cant sit around and go afk in LoL 

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Take a Poll

What Is Your Most Anticipated MMO?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
Monday
6 pst

The Republic

Star Wars The Old Republic

Tuesday
9:30 pst

After Dark

Live Call In Show

n/a

Monty's Minute

Have Questions? He Has Answers

Wednesday
3 pst

OMGLOL

League Of Legends Drama

6 pst

Guildcast

Guild Wars 2

8 pst

Klaus & Squirrel

Gameplay Duo

Thursday
8 pst

Legendary

World of WarCraft

Friday
3 pst

TWIMMO

This Week In MMO



TOP GAMES
Guild Wars 2 MMO News
Guild Wars 2
Genre: MMORPG Fantasy
Developer: Arenanet
Metacritic Score: 90
The Elder Scrolls Online MMORPG News
The Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: MMORPG Fantasy
Developer: Zenimax
Metacritic Score: n/a
World of Warcraft MMO News
World of Warcraft
Genre: MMORPG Fantasy
Developer: Blizzard
Metacritic Score: 82
SWTOR MMO News
Star Wars the Old Republic
Genre: MMORPG SciFi
Developer: Bioware
Metacritic Score: 85
League of Legends News
League of Legends
Genre: MOBA
Developer: Riot
Metacritic Score: 78