Until the end of 2019 we were looking for similarities between Skyrim and Game of Thrones. The gaming business is absolutely huge and surely going to boom in 2020 with it certainly coming more and more into the mainstream as developers create games that appeal to wider and wider audiences. There’s no doubt that the game production business is a huge earner. If you want any comparison, the Batman v Robin movie which was a long awaited sequel made $107m whereas Skyrim 4, anther long awaited sequel made $450m! That’s a huge difference and most certainly shows there’s huge money to be made in successful games. But which games have made the most of money? Well, we’ve decided to create that list right here for you. So which top 10 games make the most amount of money?
10. $700 million – “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” (2007)
It’s not really surprising to see a Call of Duty game on this list as they’ve become famous for breaking sales records and are consistently one of the best-selling games every year upon release. They’ve earned such a positive reputation as one of the best First-Person-Shooter franchises that people want to try out the new annual features each year.
9. $740 million – “The Sims” (2000)
The Sims is an absolute classic that dominated many of our childhoods as we created families, gave them way too much money, tried out different ways of killing them off and all sorts. It’s no surprise to see then that the original Sims is the 9th highest grossing video game of all time.
8. $780 million – “Modern Warfare 2” (2009)
Modern Warfare was an absolutely brilliant game, bringing people into the Call of Duty universe like never before. It was no surprise then that the sequel brought even more people in and brought around $80 million more dollars than the original. Some would argue these started off modern FPS genres and the competitive multiplayer scene we see today.
7. $850 million – “Gran Turismo 3” (2001)
Gran Turismo was, for a long time, the go-to driving game when it came to racing. It offered up the best graphics, the most realistic physics and the most comprehensive experience. Gran Turismo 3 was arguably the best and unfortunately since the series has seen a huge kickback due to the success of the Forza Franchise.
6. $1.2 billion – “New Super Mario Bros” (2006)
The Mario franchise is always going to be big and draw many fans in due to the nostalgia effect. That comment is no more obvious than when Nintendo release New Super Mario Brothers which featured the same old gameplay but with vastly updated graphics and levels. There’s some real fun to be had to playing old games you used to love.
5. $1.25 billion – “Wii Play” (2006)
Continuing on the Nintendo bandwagon, the fifth highest grossing video game of all time is Wii Play. It offered up such fun as was arguably the Wii Game that defined what it meant to own a Wii. This was the first console that was truly fun for everybody in the family and Wii Play showed that with family-friendly games that had everybody laughing and enjoying themselves.
4. $1.35 billion – “Grand Theft Auto 4” (2008)
Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest selling franchises of all time, there’s no doubt about that and the recent release of GTA 5 is a true figure to that. Unfortunately, we cannot count that film as it is still selling many copies and therefore, it would be impossible to keep up. However, as it stands GTA V has made around $2 billion. GTA IV however, really started off the hype and was a game that received the first 10 rating ever on IGN and for most sites.
3. $1.4 billion – “Mario Kart” for Wii (2008)
Mario Kart in itself back on the Gamecube was absolutely amazing but when the phenomenon that was the Wii hit, everybody was playing it. You’d be hard struck to find anybody who didn’t play Mario Kart on the Wii. That’s why it is the third highest-grossing video game of all time.
2. $1.5 billion– “Call of Duty: Black Ops” (2010)
We’ve already had two Call of Duty games on this list, but which is the highest grossing of all time? Well, that would be Black Ops. In fact, Black Ops is the second highest grossing video game of all time. This was due to the release of Modern Warfare before it, exciting many people and bringing them into the franchise. With all this hype plus the addition that the game is being referred to as “the last great COD” as some people think the new modern COD games don’t utilize what made old games great. Therefore, many people are buying old copies of the game to play with their friends.
1. Over $10 billion – “World of Warcraft” (2004)
World of Warcraft is an absolute behemoth in the gaming world. It was the first true MMO that engrossed people into a completely separate world. The game has become as famous for the crazy antics surrounding it as the gameplay itself. Yes it’s a game that allows you to gear up, progress through levels, fly on different creatures, fight dragons, free slaves, save towns and so much more. However, it is also a game that saw th first in-game wedding, a game that’s forever known as what geeks play and more. However, with over $10 billion made from the game, Blizzard are more than happy to keep making expansions for the game that bring new features in for everyone to enjoy.
