The NPD Group, a firm that tracks the industry, released their list of the top selling games of 2014, and to (probably) no one’s surprise, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has topped the list. You can find the rest of the list below, but first let’s discuss some other figures from the NPD’s release.
According to the group, physical game sales seemed to dominate the year, with the game industry generated $13.1 billion this year from retail stores alone, which equates to about a 1% increase from last year’s $12.9 billion. This was the first entire year that we’ve had the next generation consoles in our homes, and that $13 billion had the consoles to thank; $5.07 billion came in through hardware revenue, which is up 20%.
On to the software list:
1. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
2. Madden 15
3. Destiny
4. Grand Theft Auto V
5. Minecraft
6. Super Smash Bros.
7. NBA 2k15
8. Watch Dogs
9. FIFA 15
10. Call of Duty: Ghosts
As you can tell from the list, Activison clearly won the year in terms of sales; not only did Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare take the top spot, but Destiny and Call of Duty: Ghosts all place within the top 10. Surprisingly, Madden 15 managed to stay firmly rooted in the #2 spot, despite not having much innovation throughout the years.
While Activision may have taken the year, it was also a huge year for Mojang. Minecraft not only stayed in the top 10, but managed to move up five spots; finishing #9 in 2013’s list, they lifted themselves up all the way to #5 this year. You might be able to associate that with the fact that the game came to next gen consoles and received massive updates throughout the year.
Most surprising of all however, is Ubisoft’s fall from grace. While Watch Dogs managed to take a spot in the top ten, an Assassin’s Creed game is no where to be found. It’s the first time since 2008 (there was no AC in 2008) that an Assassin’s Creed title hasn’t been one of the top selling of the year. I suppose that glitches, review issues, and a very late release date will do that to you.
All in all, it’s been a pretty great year for games, if you go by the numbers. We didn’t get a ton of marquee games, but we can look forward to the horizon of 2015 and see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.
