2015 is over, and it’s time to count the money the gaming industry made.
New video games sold at U.S. retailers made $13.1 billion for the second year in a row. That was thanks to strong releases for the new systems while the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 fall into irrelevancy.
But really, it’s all about these games:
The 10 best-selling games of the year
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
- Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Fallout 4 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
- Star Wars: Battlefront (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One) 360, PS3, PC)
- NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Minecraft (360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
- FIFA 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
It’s not a surprise that, once again, Call of Duty is one of the top-selling games of the year. The franchise was the biggest breakout hit of last generation, and nothing has really unseated it so far on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
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Likewise, it doesn’t shock anyone that Fallout 4 is near the top of this list. Bethesda games are almost always instant blockbusters, and gamers had a lot of pent-up demand for this one. But it couldn’t outperform Madden, which is always in the top 3.
Star Wars made it into the top 5, and it even sold better on the Xbox One than on PlayStation 4. That was probably partially because of the pack-in deal with the PS4; those copies don’t count toward this list.
Finally, this list shows that while familiar franchises sell — FIFA, Minecraft, Mortal Kombat — you don’t see Assassin’s Creed or Need For Speed. That might mean that it’s possible that fans are punishing those games for a perceived lack of quality in previous releases.
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