There is little surprise that there is a lot of money in the gaming sector, which is highlighted by some of the most synonymous titles we have seen throughout history. That success has quickly followed into other sectors, with many gaming titles transferred into television shows and films, while others, have also found success in casino games.
One of the most successful is the Lara Croft Temples and Tombs slot at Betway, but other variations centred around other gaming characters are also available. However, what are some of the most successful gaming franchises in the world today?
Mario
No gaming franchise has achieved as much in sales as Mario. The titled character first appeared in the original version of Donkey Kong back in 1981, before starring in his first main game with the release of Mario Bros. The character was created and developed by Shigeru Miyamoto, and has quickly become the most synonymous character with Nintendo games. In total, over 760.21 million copies have been sold by the franchise, and it has experienced success in a wide selection of genres.
Some of the genres in which Mario has achieved success, includes sports, racing, and role-playing games. Like other leading franchises, it has also branched out into other sectors, with Mario experiencing success in an animated television series, films, and merchandise. The most commercially successful game was Super Mario, which sold 383.54 million copies.
Tetris
The second most successful franchise in the history of gaming doesn’t necessarily involve a playable character, unlike many of the other titles on this list. Tetris was first introduced to the world in January 1988, and was designed by Alexey Paijitnov four years earlier. Tetris was able to excel on a number of different platforms, which included mobile devices, computers, and games consoles. One of the most successful was released on Game Boy, and it sold over 35 million units.
Since then, the evolution of mobile gaming has seen the franchise continue its success, and that is now among the most played titles on the device. In total, the franchise has taken more than 400 million copies in paid downloads on mobile devices. Not only that, but the title is the most successful gaming franchise to come out of Russia and the Soviet Union, and is the best-selling puzzle series game. Furthermore, it is the best-selling franchise in the video game sector not owned by Nintendo.
Pokemon
It would have been hard to imagine a world without Pokemon when growing up, as the franchise has taken on a world of its own. It is a very unique title in the way that players never really give up on the game, as the player continues to delve deep into the world when new releases are dropped despite the fact that they may be out of the age demographic that the title is aiming for. Satoshi Tajiri created Pokemon, and remains the president of Game Freak.
The first title was released on the Game Boy back in 1996, and since then, it has been followed by a number of well-received titles on a plethora of Nintendo next-gen consoles and hand held games consoles. Pokemon quickly became the highest-grossing media franchise of all-time, and has taken on a life of its own in other forms of media, including playing cards, films and television shows. In total, there have been over 20 cinema releases for the franchise. It’s ability to continue to redevelop itself always attracts new players, and that was seen with the release of the hugely popular Pokemon Go back in 2016.
Call Of Duty
The highest-grossing franchise from another console game not owned by Nintendo is Call of Duty. While many of the titles that have amassed over 200 million copies were established after 2000, Call of Duty’s first release came in 2003. The first-person shooter game immediately became a hit with fans, and that success has continued throughout history. That is evident in this modern day with eSports taking on a life of its own, and various Call of Duty competitions offering extremely lucrative purses. The title was developed by Gray Matter, Interactive, Raven Software, and Sledgehammer Games, and is published by Activision. In total, over 20 games have been released in the series, which includes the five games focused on World War 2.
There have been other series released since then, including the Modern Warfare series, Black Ops Story arc, and standout games such as Ghosts, Advanced Warfare and Infinity Warfare. The most recent release was Call of Duty: Vanguard, which was the first release of PlayStation 5 back in November 2021. The franchise holds the record for the most successful first-person shooter game by the Guinness Book of Records, and is the most successful gaming franchise to have been created in the United States. Like Pokemon Go, the title has also achieved success on the mobile platform, with the release of Call of Duty: Mobile selling over 500 million downloads. A film centred on the franchise is also in the works, but plans have reportedly been put on hold.
