The third-party gaming publisher that has made the most money in the United States so far this year is probably not the first one that comes to your mind.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is the top-grossing publisher in the U.S. through May 2015, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. The company has had one hit after another, and it has helped it grab a significant portion of the $50 billion console-gaming market. And these figures do not even factor in the publisher’s mobile business, which is thriving with free-to-play hits like Mortal Kombat X and WWE Immortals.
“With a consistent stream of launches through the first five month of 2015, Warner Bros. Interactive is the top software publisher year-to-date through May 2015, with over 140 percent increase in dollar sales versus last year,” NPD analyst Liam Callahan said in a statement provided to GamesBeat. “Warner is poised for further growth with the launch of highly-anticipated Batman: Arkham Knight, in June.”
Looking back, WB Interactive’s 2015 is quite impressive. Here is what it has released on consoles so far this year:
- Dying Light
- Lego Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin
- Mortal Kombat X
- The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
That’s not shabby — especially since we’re not even halfway done with the year. Hell, three of those five games (Dying Light, Mortal Kombat X, and The Witcher III) made it into the NPD’s top 10 best-selling games for at least one month.
And WB isn’t slowing down. Here’s what it has coming out for the rest of the year (that we know about):
- Lego Jurassic World (June 12)
- Batman: Arkham Knight (June 23)
- Mad Max (Sept. 1)
- Lego Dimensions (Sept. 27)
- Lego Marvel’s Avengers (Q3 2015)
And each one of those has a chance to make it into the top 10 best-selling games for the months that they come out. So something’s going on over at WB, and it could legitimately end the year as the top publisher over perennial favorites like Electronic Arts and Activision.