14 DAY TRIAL // An analysis from multiplayer oriented service Raptr shows that the launch of Medal of Honor, the first person shooter from Danger Close, DICE and Electronic Arts, failed to make an impact on the time spent by gamers on the most popular titles for multiplayer, like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Modern Warfare 2.
The study from Raptr has tracked the Xbox 360 version of the game and has showed that actual online play time for the two rival shooters, one of them created by DICE and the other from Infinity Ward, actually saw an increase in average play times when Medal of Honor was released.
It could be that fans tried the single player potion of the game, which for the first time in the history of the series takes the place to a modern setting, the battlefield of Afghanistan at some point in the initial stages of the American involvement, and then moved on to engage in some multiplayer in more familiar games, where they have better knowledge of the mechanics and organized groups to play with.
When another high profile first person shooter launched in the form of Halo: Reach from Bungie the play time for Modern Warfare 2 went down by about 40 percent while the time for Bad Company 2 was reduced by about half.
Raptr has also found out that players enjoyed Medal of Honor for an average of 3.93 hours during its launch with, compared with 6.19 hours for Halo: Reach and 6.17 hours for Modern Warfare 2 back in 2009.
A look at Achievement data shows that 35 percent of gamers who bought Medal of Honor have also finished it, which is pretty much the same number as those who finished Halo: Reach in its first week.
The problem is that, while a bit short, the campaign in the new Halo was longer than that of Medal of Honor, which might mean that overall player interest is a bit lower for the game from Electronic Arts.