• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 9 hours ago

Major video game platforms -- which increasingly are forming advertising/brand partnerships -- have seen 60% of players becoming inactive over a recent three-month period, according to new Ampere Analysis data.

But the good news is that overall, the bottom line for player numbers remains stable.

“The research shows that live [gaming] service success is increasingly dependent on managing a 'floating audience' of players who move frequently between titles rather than committing long-term,” says the authors of the study, in looking at June to September results.

Looking at the period between June and September, 56% of Fortnite players were still playing three months later in September.

By comparison, 59% of the June console audience for Roblox was maintained, and "Apex Legends" kept 49% of its June players.

Looking at the popular video game brand “Grand Theft Auto V,” only 40% of its June user base remained active.

Ampere Analysis found Fortnite ended the June-to-September period dropping only one million console players (to 31 million to 32 million) despite 44% of its initial June player base leaving during that three-month stretch.

An estimated 82% of restless players move on to other video destinations including: Roblox, "Grand Theft Auto V/Online," "Call of Duty HQ," "EA Sports FC 25," and “Minecraft.”

A lot of activity is spread out across the video gaming ecosystem. For example, the most popular single-player title among restless Fortnite players was “Hollow Knight: Silksong” — but it attracted just 2% of Fortnite players.

“Data shows that live service games are not failing, but are locked into an increasingly competitive cycle where retention, not acquisition, is the real battleground," Ampere said.