Minecraft dethrones Call of Duty as Xbox Live king

Could there be a bigger sign of the changing times?

Call of Duty’s position at the top of Major Nelson’s weekly Xbox Live Top Ten is and has been a given for years. It measures the most popular games according to unique users logged into Xbox Live.

But this week’s listing delivered somewhat of a surprise – Call of Duty wasn’t top. Instead, Mojang’s once cult indie hit and worldwide sensation Minecraft was the king of Xbox Live.

It’s the first time Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hasn’t been number once since its release in early November last year. At the time it dethroned its predecessor COD: Black Ops.

The news is somewhat symbolic at a time when the established gaming hierarchy is undergoing significant change.

For years the industry has been dominated by triple-A hits from colossal publishers. But the resurgence of the indie developer and the increased popularity of smaller, digital releases has been threatening to destabilise the establishment.