GfK, Growth from Knowledge, has just published the list of the UK’s top 30 best-selling software titles since 1995. The top 30 combine for £26bn in revenue in 27 years. No surprise is that, by revenue, FIFA is the top of the heap. The series started back in 1993 on the Sega Megadrive and has published 50 titles since 1995. Second on the list is Call of Duty, a brand that started a full decade after FIFA, and 16 years after the third place finisher, Mario who put out 109 titles.
It goes to show that annual releases can generate a good deal of income and still have fans shelling out the cash to get their hands on the latest iteration of some franchises. Much of the rest of the list is franchises that regularly put out new games but not nearly at the hectic pace of FIFA 1.85 games per year. Big names like Grand Theft Auto, Lego, Star Wars, Sims, Pokemon, Assassin’s Creed and Need for Speed round out the top 10.
Zooming in at 11th is another long-time favorite Sonic with 55 titles, just over half as many as Mario with 109. Pro Evo Soccer dropped the ball on #17 and WWE has an arm bar on 12th. Surprisingly, Wii Fit is in at a fit 14th with 3 titles while franchises with 30 titles like Battlefield (19), Tomb Raider (20), DC (22), Formula One (23), Crash Bandicoot (27), The Olympics (28), and Zelda (29) fell far below. Formula One definitely has to feel some disappointment at having 66 titles and being 23rd overall along with DC at 22nd and 43 titles. The only other single digit release franchise on the list is Skylanders with 6 and in 18th place. See the full list below.