Core gamers increasingly playing social titles - Report

The stereotypes for hardcore gamers and Facebook gamers look nothing alike, but the two groups may be more similar than previously thought. That was just one finding in a report released today by gaming social network Raptr, with results drawn from an examination of the playing habits of its 10-million-strong user base.

Among the statistics included in Raptr's report was that 30 percent of its tracked Xbox 360 players also played a Zynga game in 2011, a jump over the 20 percent overlap the service identified in 2010. As for specific games, Raptr found that nearly 20 percent of its World of Warcraft players have played Zynga's Cityville, while 12 percent of Call of Duty: Black Ops PC players had also played the Facebook game.

Raptr CEO Dennis Fong told GameSpot the company's discoveries also included a number of insights specific to Zynga's games. In particular, Fong noted that Zynga games cannibalize each other, with usage of the older 'Ville games often decreasing as soon as a new one is launched. However, he said the company does a good job of transitioning the user base to its new products, with more than 90 percent of one game's user base typically moving on to the next Zynga release upon launch.

"It doesn't appear like the social gaming audience as a whole is gaming anymore," Fong said. "It's kind of plateaued, so the ability to convert your old players into your new titles is pretty critical."

The full Raptr report is available at the company's official blog.