Although the video game world seems to be constantly producing new and exciting games from a range of developers around the world, by far the most popular — and profitable — games are those belonging to well established franchises.
The fact that the most popular games tend to come from established franchises gives you a sense of how the video game world differs from other forms of online gaming. For example, the online casino world seems to be dominated by unique games rather than those belonging to a franchise. This is certainly true of the likes of Mr Green, which is home to hundreds of unique games.
But what are the most successful video game franchises of all time and, more importantly, how many copies have they sold?
There are a number of ways you can measure the success of a video games franchise. You can firstly, measure it purely by the total volume of games sold. This involves simply looking at which franchise has sold the most copies overall. Secondly, you can choose to measure it by the total revenue it has generated.
This second measurement takes into account all the revenue a particular franchise has generated, either through direct sales, or through other revenue streams like game subscriptions, in game purchases or merchandising.
The highest grossing franchises
Of all the various game franchises that have come out over the years, what are the highest grossing in terms of total revenue? Here’s a run-down of the top five:• Pac-Man, $14.1bn: In terms of classic video games, the Pac-Man franchise is just about as old-school as you can get. Although first released as an arcade game, it gradually made its way over to home video game consoles. Nowadays, it can be found on everything from mobile phones to the in-flight entertainment systems on airplanes. As a result, the Pac-Man franchise has generated a staggering $14.1bn!
• Wii Games: As one of the best-selling consoles of all time, the Wii game series put out by Nintendo has proven to be a sleeper hit. With a range of game types, Wii Games has been a hit with games for all ages. Since 2006, this franchise has generated $14.8bn in total for Nintendo.
• Call of Duty: By far the most popular first-person shooter game, the Call of Duty franchise has consistently been one of the most popular multiplayer games since it was first launched in 2003. Spanning various historical eras and regions, the Call of Duty franchise has proven to be a hit with fans. As a result, in just shy of two decades, it has managed to generate $17bn in revenue.
• Mario: It is hard to think of a classic video game more well-known and well-loved than Mario. Although tending to stick to a classic formula, it has continued to be a pop culture phenomenon. By spawning multiple sequels, game types and merchandising deals, Nintendo have earned £30.2bn since the first Mario game came out in 1981.
• Pokémon: Although it is almost three decades old, the Pokémon video game franchise has continued to be a hit with fans of all ages. Thanks primarily to an aggressive merchandising and licensing strategy, the Pokémon franchise has proven to be very lucrative for Nintendo. Since getting started in 1996, it has generated over $90bn in revenue — a figure that is so large, it is bigger than all of the previous titles combined!
The biggest game franchise by sales?
Interestingly, although Pokémon is by far the most successful franchise in terms of total revenue, it is not necessarily the biggest by total volume of sales. The top five best-selling game franchises of all time by sales are:• Mario, 767.93m
• Tetris, 495m
• Call of Duty, 400m
• Super Mario, 380.63m
• Pokémon, 380m
This gives you a sense of how often the commercial success of a video game franchise will depend on its ability to generate revenue beyond direct sales. For example, what has made the Pokémon franchise so successful is that it has been able to diversify into other formats. This includes direct game sales, an anime series, a manga series, a trending card game, books, merchandise and over 20 films. The Mario series, in contrast, has sold a staggering number of individual games through various spin-off franchises, but has been less able to diversify into other media formats in the way that Pokémon has.
posted by admin // 14-06-2021 // permalink
