Hey guys!. In this post, I’ll be discussing a list of Top 10 Biggest Video Game Franchises. Gaming has become more and more popular amongst many houses. Games began with a surge of popularity in the early 80’s but then slowly became generalized for being a kids’ activity. Later on in the 90s, games’ age parameters and glorification of violence became subject to controversy. Despite so many different reasons for people to outcast video games, gaming has turned into the biggest entertainment industry on the planet. Video games rack in billions of dollars for the publishers and developers each year, and have become a market that is saturated with all types of games. However, there are a few big names which are still completely untouched. So let’s get started.
10. NEED FOR SPEED
While the market is full of racing games of all sorts; Need for Speed takes everything a notch higher. This franchise has managed to sell over 150 million units, garnering over 4 Billion dollars. The game has managed to remain relevant with each installment as they have mastered the art of keeping games fresh. Need for Speed has been known for having wacky Dinosaurs be drivable in NFS 2000, while they also created stories with NFS Carbon and took their hands at race car driving with NFS Prostreet. The racing game market seems more popular than anyone would’ve thought!
9. THE SIMS
The Sims is another EA franchise, but unlike Need for Speed, this game is all about taking it slow. The Sims is a life-simulator where you control a bunch of characters that you create and help them in leading a life. That doesn’t sound fun right? Wrong, because the game has ended up selling over 200 million copies and racking up to over 6 billion dollars. Even if life simulators might not be your favorite genre, The Sims is always fun to play. The best part is, it keeps getting new expansions every two months.
8. THE NINTENDO Wii SERIES
The Wii Series of games has been one of the most financially successful franchises. This is honestly just a small collection of games that come exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. The original Wii game, known as Wii Sports came with the first Wii console. After that though, they have become a staple in gaming for the casual players. You don’t like doing complex platforming and prop-hunting in Super Mario? Well, just beat people up in a boxing match, play sports or dance in any of the Wii games. The Wii franchise has sold over 202 million copies, racking in more than 6 billion dollars.
7. TETRIS
Tetris is one of the first video games of the modern generation, period. Tetris’ overall popularity in the eighties is untouchable; it was the one game that everyone wanted if they didn’t play it already. Tetris might be one of the simplest games ever made, but that didn’t stop people from trying to become the best at it. Ever since its release in 1988, Tetris has garnered more than 1.6 billion dollars so far by selling 70 million physical copies. This might not have sold more than most of the other games on this list but man is Tetris a testament to games that will outlive people.
6. FINAL FANTASY
The Final Fantasy franchise is as old as video games have been. Originally released in 1987, Final Fantasy has become a legionnaire of many different characters and their stories. Iconic characters such as Cloud and Tifa, to recent popular heroes such as Noctis and Lightning are all immensely memorable characters with some of the best stories ever. The hit RPG franchise has sold over 159 million copies, and yet has managed to garner over 10.60 BILLION dollars because animated films, shows, merchandise and games!
5. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna and Tails the Fox, these are some of the most iconic characters in the history of video games, and they’re all part of the Sonic Universe. This franchise has been a staple in the platforming, adventure games for years on end. Eventually sporting into different genres such as Sonic Racing and Sonic Fighting Games on the Game Boy Advance and more platformers! The franchise has managed to amass over 6.5 billion dollars by selling a total of 140 million copies. Safe to say, the series is doing pretty well for a franchise that old, probably because how iconic its characters are.
4. GRAND THEFT AUTO
Rockstar Games’ most popular game of all time, Grand Theft Auto is a staple in gaming history. Grand Theft Auto popularized the incredible Open World genre, which every game seems to have nowadays. Rockstar has been riding the wave of popularity ever since the release of Grand Theft Auto III, and they’re sure to not let that popularity go anytime soon. The video-game giant has sold over 270 million copies worldwide, racking in over 9,986 BILLION dollars from their games alone. Rockstar also has a plethora of other games such as Red Dead Redemption, Bully and the cult classic Max Payne series, which all made a ton of money for them as well.
3. CALL OF DUTY
Call of Duty is a household name in every gamer’s house. This influential first person shooter has become what no other series has been. A casual gamer’s prized possession. Call of Duty is a game for all sorts of players, it can be the easiest game in the world or it can be the hardest game in the world, all depends on the player. The series has hit a lot of highs, from the original Modern Warfare to Modern Warfare 2019, the game has seen drastic changes and improvements but has managed to keep its fanbase still hooked. The Call of Duty franchise has sold over 300 Million copies worldwide and has made over 18.32 Billion dollars for its parent company Activision.
2. POKEMON
Nintendo has been a company that since the beginning of video games, have reigned supreme as kings of the medium. Pokemon games are no less of a miracle in the video game world, an RPG series created from the top-down perspective, made to be fun experiences for their fans to relax and enjoy. Aside from the RPG games, Pokemon has a huge featuring in Nintendo’s Smash Bros games, they even have their own side games and mobile games. This franchise has made 19.5 billion dollars for Nintendo in a massive number of 368 million copies of the games sold so far. Only being beat by another Nintendo game.
1. MARIO
Mario, the biggest name in all of gaming, has been around since our parents and will be going alive till our children’s children play it. Nintendo’s crown jewel, Mario has seen success in every single gaming genre. Initially being released as an adventure/platformer game, Mario turned sprouted into a multitude of different genres such as Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Mario Tennis, Doctor Mario, Mario Party the virtual board game, Luigi’s ghost hunting game and much, MUCH more. The Mario franchise has sold over 653 million copies of their gigantic gaming catalogue, and made over 32.5 BILLION DOLLARS. It’s safe to say that there is going to be NO series in the world that are going to come even close to the amount of success that Mario has had for many years in the future.
That is it from today’s post on Top 10 Biggest Video Game Franchises. If you do not agree with the points in the post and have some of your own opinions, share them with us in the comments section down below.
Also, Read:
Chandan is the writer of “Top 10 Biggest Video Game Franchises”. Also, Connect with me on Facebook.