Guild Wars

Guild Wars players are in for a bit of a treat these holidays. From December 7th, players will be able to play 5 free hours of the new Eye of the North expansion pack. Players who already bought the pack won’t feel left out, as they will receive triple experience from all Eye of the North story quests, double gold and experience from playing in Eye of the North maps on Hard, and doubled chance of receiving rare items from chests. All players will also get experience and loot bonuses, as well as drops of special items Hunter’s Ale and Honeycombs over the festive period.

via 1Up

Last months data from Xfire has revealed a drop of 18% in hours played for World of Warcraft. The drop is not just exclusive to WoW, as many of the top ten MMOs have experienced a similar drop. Second and third spots occupied by Guild Wars and Silkroad Online dropped 13% and 27% respectively. One explanation for the drop is the end of summer holidays in the US, causing many students back to their studies - Halo 3 is also likely to be a contributing factor.

Top FPSs have also taken a hit, with Call of Duty 2 Multiplayer and Counter-Strike Source losing 12% and 18% of their audiences respectively.

via GamesIndustry.biz