Video games are a multi-billion dollar industry, and that’s putting it lightly. Estimates say that video games will generate hundreds of billions of dollars within the next few years. With so much money in the industry, many wonder what the highest-grossing video game franchises are.
A recent research study from KingCasinoBonus.uk tells us just that. The data comes via information from Levvvel.com and Metacritic.com.
Call of Duty Is the Highest-Grossing Video Game Franchise of All Time
With nearly $30 billion in revenue, Call of Duty is the king of the castle. After debuting in 2003, Call of Duty has been a major game franchise for the past two decades.
The most recent release is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Equally as popular is the Battle Royale spin-off, Warzone.
Pokémon Is Nintendo’s Most Successful Franchise
Fans have been “catching ’em all” since the late 90s. As a result, Pokémon boasts a total revenue of $27 billion.
2022 saw two releases in the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Both games are for Nintendo Switch.
Super Mario Is One of the Most Successful Franchises Ever
Next on our list of highest-grossing video game franchises is one older than Pokémon.
Super Mario Bros. debuted in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then, over 20 subsequent games have been released. They have grossed $22.6 billion in total revenue.
A movie from Illumination and Universal Pictures is releasing later this year. It stars Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Jack Black.
Final Fantasy Isn’t So Final Afterall
One of the most popular JRPGs of all time, Final Fantasy is a money-making machine.
Since debuting in 1987, the Final Fantasy franchise has made nearly $19 billion. Between fifteen mainline series, several spin-off games, and movie releases, there’s a lot of Final Fantasy for fans to enjoy.
A new game in the series, Final Fantasy XVI, is in development for PlayStation 5.
Dungeon Fighter Online Has What It Takes
While it may lack name recognition, Dungeon Fighter Online has generated $18 billion in revenue.
Debuting in 2005, the hack-and-slash side-scroller was eventually acquired by Tencent. Since then, the game has exploded in popularity. It features over 850 million registered users in China alone.
The Rest of the 10 Highest-Grossing Video Game Franchises
Rounding out the top ten, Space Invaders comes in sixth, raking in $16 billion. Unfortunately, despite its popularity in the 70s and 80s, the Space Invaders franchise hasn’t had a mainstream release in quite some time.
After that, Pac-Man generated $14 billion. Like Space Invaders, Pac-Man’s success comes from the height of arcade popularity. The game still sees releases on modern consoles today.
In eighth place, Crossfire has brought in $13 billion. Like Dungeon Fighter Online, Crossfire is one of the most obscure entries on the list of the highest-grossing video game franchises. It debuted in 2007 on PC. Since then, it has become one of the most-played first-person shooters in the world.
Finally, there is a two-way tie for ninth. Street Fighter and Dragon Quest both have generated $12.2 billion.
Like others on this list, Street Fighter enjoyed popularity in arcades. A new entry in the series, Street Fighter VI, is currently in development.
Dragon Quest is arguably more popular than Final Fantasy in certain parts of the world. Debuting in 1986, it has seen eleven mainline games released. A new entry, Dragon Quest XII, is currently in development.
Analyzing the Results
“It’s interesting to see that older franchises aren’t necessarily the franchises with the highest total revenue; as Call of Duty is a newer franchise than Pokémon, Super Mario, and Final Fantasy,” says a spokesperson for KingCasinoBonus.uk.”It is also interesting to note that Super Mario has the highest Metacritic score of the topfive’ss games even though it is the third highest-grossing franchise.”
