Even though many people treat video games simply as a fun pastime, the industry behind them is a big one. And it’s constantly growing, with the profits getting bigger and bigger with each passing year. Of course, not every game can be successful and, in reality, many of them get forgotten soon after being released. But when it comes to our favorite games, we, as players, are willing to spend serious money on them. It’s no wonder that the amount of money earned by the most popular franchises is impressive. But have you ever wondered what are some of the most lucrative games in history?
FIFA
Soccer is one of the most loved sports on the planet. So it’s only natural that its digital version will find a huge number of fans as well. This insanely popular franchise by Electronic Arts has an estimated revenue of just above $10 billion. It’s not a surprise since many people are willing to spend both their money and time for a chance to play for their favorite team.
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto is an action-packed game from Rockstar Games with a huge following. It’s so popular that in 2018 Grand Theft Auto V was still included in the list of the best-selling games of the year, even though a few years have already passed since its release in 2013. This, combined with the availability of additional components players can purchase, allowed the whole franchise to earn more than $9 billion.
League of Legends
This multiplayer online battle arena has grossed over $8 billion since its release in 2009. It’s not only gaining new players year after year but is also the center of many Esport tournaments all over the world. With the prizes amounting to millions of dollars, its popularity is not likely to decrease anytime soon.
Warcraft
Warcraft is a franchise created by Blizzard Entertainment and set in a fantasy world of Azeroth. Its best-known installment is the wildly popular World of Warcraft, an MMORPG that allows players to interact with one another. The estimated revenue, as of 2018, is $10.6 billion.
Pac-Man
Even though this iconic game was first developed in 1980, there are many people playing it to this day. In the beginning, it was an arcade game, but over time the franchise added new installments for players to enjoy on consoles, PCs and mobile phones. This immense popularity enabled it to rise to the fifth spot on the list of the highest-grossing video game franchises with an estimated revenue of $14.1 billion.
Call of Duty
This first-person shooter game from Activision was first published in 2003 and has amassed a huge following. Starting out with the World War II setting, with time it evolved to include different periods, up to the modern times, as well. It’s also one of the games that can be played competitively during tournaments. Over the years the franchise earned an estimated $17 billion.
Mario
It’s one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. Although many different installments were developed over the years, they are all centered around the character of Mario, which is widely recognized even by people who never played the game. Since its original creation in 1981, it grossed $30 billion.
Pokémon
This franchise is based on the idea of catching and training fictional characters called Pokémon in order to make them compete with one another in battles. Its continuous popularity is constantly on the rise since it was first created in 1995 and the release of the mobile game Pokémon Go helped it gain even more fans in the last few years. This allowed it to rise to the top and become the highest-grossing video game franchise with $90 billion in revenue.
GTA 6. Everything we know so far [Release, editions, and pre-orders]
To say that people were excited about the GTA 6 news would be an understatement. One of the most popular RPG games ever made has finally received its first trailer.
