Microsoft’s Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb posted his regular activity roundup for the Xbox 360’s online network, and the Minecraft mania flows strong on the lists.
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Here’s the punchline: All of this happened in Minecraft’s first week of release.
Creativity spawns popularity, or so the legions of Minecraft’s stalwart community believes. Originally released for the PC on November 18, 2011, the open-world tinkering title arms players with pick, axe, sword, and other tools while throwing open the floodgates of crowdsourced content, resulting in masterful works such as a recreated Westeros from Game of Thrones and Portal’s test chambers.
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition launched on May 9, promptly fashioned a golden sword, and smashed digital-sales records on its first day in the wilds. Its 1,600 Microsoft Points ($20) cost, unusually large for an XBLA title, and its lack of a modding infrastructure didn’t prevent the acclaim rolling in.
Check out Major Nelson’s activity lists below. If you’re playing Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, what have you created so far? Let us know in the comments!
Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on unique users)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
- FIFA 12
- Battlefield 3
- Halo: Reach
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- NBA 2K12
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Gears of War 3
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Trials Evolution
- Forza Motorsport 4
- Mass Effect 3
- NHL 12
- Madden NFL 12
- Halo 3
- Red Dead Redemption
- Saints Row: The Third
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)
- Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
- Trials Evolution
- The Walking Dead
- Fable Heroes
- Fez
- Pinball FX2
- Awesomenauts
- I Am Alive
- Castle Crashers
- Family Game Night
- Fruit Ninja Kinect
- Bloodforge
- Toy Soldiers: Cold War
- Gotham City Impostors
- Toy Soldiers
- Trials HD
- Dungeon Defenders
- Full House Poker
- Peggle
- Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
Top Indie Games (Full Versions purchased)
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- CastleMiner Z
- CastleMiner
- Total Miner: Forge
- The $1 Zombie Game
- FortressCraft: Chapter 1
- The Impossible Game
- Avatar Paintball
- Avatar Deathmatch
- Fortress Wars
- FLIRT
- End of Days: Infected vs. Mercs
- Avatar Legends
- Flight Adventure 2
- Toy Stunt Bike 2
- Solar 2
- Firing Range 2
- Miner4Ever
- Avatar Air Wars
- Don’t Die Dateless, Dummy!
- Attack of the Zombie Horde
Games for Windows Top Live Titles (based on unique users)
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Age of Empires Online
- Batman: Arkham City
- Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
- Microsoft Flight
- Batman: Arkham Asylum
- DiRT 3
- Gotham City Impostors
- F1 2011
- Resident Evil 5
- Fallout 3
- Street Fighter X Tekken
- Toy Soldiers
- Fable III
- BioShock 2
- Colin McRae: Dirt 2
- Bulletstorm
- F1 2010
- Street Fighter IV
- Section 8: Prejudice