There’s no doubt whatsoever that the video games industry is absolutely colossal. With estimated overall gross income predicted to exceed $109 billion in 2018 alone, it stands as one of the most lucrative industries in the world and certainly the fastest growing.
All of this put us in mind of our favorite games and how they might have contributed to that figure, which of course led us to ask: what are the best-selling video games of all time?
1. Tetris sold: 170 million
Don’t be too surprised, we all knew it was coming! Alexey Pajitnov’s 1984 breakthrough his Tetris tops almost every gaming list there is, so it should come as no surprise that it would sit right at the top of this one as the best-selling game of all time.
Created by Pajitnov while working at the Academy of Science of the Soviet Union (who held the sole rights to the game right up until 1996 at which time they defaulted to Pajitnov), Tetris was the first game ever to be exported from the USSR to the USA.
2. Minecraft Sold: 122 million
Possibly the most beloved sandbox game of all time, Swedish designer Markus Persson’s Minecraft has Sold an incredible 122 million copies worldwide over the past six years – not bad for something he threw together in only six days! Extremely popular in the game modifying scene, and arguably in keeping with the minimalist,
indie aesthetic common in a lot of Scandinavian design, Minecraft has grown to become a global phenomenon. Nowhere is this more evident than at the game’s very own convention, Minecon.
3. Wii Sports (Nintendo) sold: 82 million
A staggering number six on the list for Nintendo and the third Wii title in the top 10, Wii Sports was something of a revolution onto itself and few can honestly say they are surprised to see it place so highly.
The first title to be sold as part of a package with a Nintendo system since Mario Tennis came with the Virtual Boy in 1995, Wii Sports’ producer, Nintendo veteran Katsuya Eguchi, has said of this game that he wanted to create something that would be loved by gamers and non-gamers alike.
4. Grand Theft Auto V sold: 80 million
Costing a cool total of $272 million to make (placing it second on the list of all-time most costly games to develop behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 at $279 million),
Grand Theft Auto was a considerable risk for open-world veterans Rockstar, especially with the comparatively low uptake on and reaction to its predecessor GTA IV. Lucky for them it grossed over $1 billion in its first three days on sale.
5. Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) Sold: 40 million
For a humble pixelated plumber, Mario takes up an incredible amount of space in the all-time best-seller list. Directed, designed, and produced by Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto, Super Mario Bros. is, without doubt, one of the most influential platform games of all time and certainly one of the most enduring.
Fun fact about Super Mario Bros., due to design restrictions, the game was to initially feature Mario flying through the game astride a rocket armed with a laser gun. However, last-minute developments in technology allowed for the jumping, running romp that we’ve all come to know and love.
6. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo) Sold: 37 million
It’s-a him, again. The sixth game in the genre-forming Mario Kart series was an absolute box-office smash in video game terms, perhaps due to the enduring popularity of the series,
perhaps in part due to the innovative steering wheel players could use in tandem with the Wii remote allowing a very lifelike driving experience another stride forward in the blurring of platform driving genres that Mario Kart is so famous for. Mario Kart Wii was also the first title in the series to feature the hugely popular online multiplayer mode.
7. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo) Sold: 33 million
The successful follow up to 2006’s Wii Sports is arguably another dark horse in the top 10, but selling over half a million copies in its first week in the US alone is more than enough to set it on its way and prove itself in anyone’s eyes.
One of the very first games to be compatible the Wii Motion Plus feature, Wii Sports Resort got millions of families moving with its wide selection of sporting simulations including wakeboarding, archery, basketball, cycling, fencing, frisbee, power cruising, and table tennis.
8. Pokémon Red/Blue Sold: 32 million
Almost a cliché by now, these iconic titles are no strangers to placing highly on games lists of any kind. Back in 1996 however, not even Nintendo suspected these relatively small titles would launch a $15 billion game/film/television/merchandise franchise, let alone become so ingrained in the fabric of Japan’s national identity.
One common known fact about the game is that Pokémon’s creator, Satoshi Tajiri, took inspiration from his childhood love of insects in the development process.
9. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) Sold: 31 million
The first of an incredible six Nintendo titles to make the top 10, 2006’s New Super Mario Bros. is perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire list when compared to all the other titles in the Mario universe, but no less deserving.
This modern classic follows the tried and tested Mario format, an easily accessible side-scroller in which the titular Mario must rescue the far too frequently kidnapped Princess Peach from Bowser and his progeny. Interestingly, New Super Mario Bros. was the first title in the series where designers were not required to design every aspect of the game by hand, thus allowing them a lot more freedom to create the not-quite-2D-not-quite-3D world we see in the game.
10. The Elder Scrolls Sold: 30 million
Kicking the list off with a bang, Skyrim sold a whopping 3.5 million copies in the first 48 hours after it launched. Fans of the popular Elder Scrolls series may be disappointed to hear that Skyrim
may quite possibly be the last in the series for the foreseeable future as Bethesda director/executive producer, Todd Howard, has alluded the possibility of a roster of new titles sparked by his desire for Bethesda not to be seen as ‘just the people who make Elder Scrolls and Fallout’.
The post The Best Selling Video Games 2018 appeared first on Edmonton Gazette.
