When a new game releases and you rush to buy it (or eagerly await for your pre-order copy to arrive), there are thousands of other gamers doing the same thing. In the case of a really big title, that number turns to millions.
It’s when the millions of gamers collectively vote with their wallets that the publishers and developers celebrate, for they have played a part in the biggest video game launches in history.
Let’s take a look at which titles have earned that honour.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – Biggest Launch in CoD Franchise
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was the biggest Call of Duty release in the history of the franchise. The game launched on 12 November 2012 and managed to rake in $500 million in 24 hours. To put this into perspective, it is more than what The Dark Knight Rises grossed during its entire theatrical run ($448 million).
Watch_Dogs – Biggest Launch in Ubisoft History
Watch_Dogs launched on 27 May 2014 and went on to become the biggest launch title in Ubisoft’s history. The game sold over 4 million copies in one week – compare this to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag which hit 10 million sales after 5 months.
Destiny – Biggest New IP Launch, Biggest “next-gen” Launch
Destiny launched on 9 September 2014 and managed to bring in over $500 million in just 24 hours. This made it the biggest new franchise launch in history. Destiny also won the honour of biggest launch title for Xbox One and PS4.
Pokémon X and Y – Biggest Exclusive Nintendo Launch, Biggest Platform Exclusive Launch
Pokémon, no matter how much you may deny it, was the coolest thing in most people’s lives at one point. X and Y launched on 12 October 2013, selling 4 million copies in 48 hours – making it the biggest game launch in Nintendo’s history. To date, 12 million copies of the games have been sold.
X and Y also take the title of biggest platform exclusive launch (it was available on the 3DS).
Diablo 3 – Biggest PC Launch, Fastest Selling PC Game
During its first 24 hours, even though no-one could play the game, Diablo 3 managed to sell over 3.5 million copies. After its first week Diablo 3 was sitting on 6.3 million copies sold, making it the fastest selling PC game in history.
To date, Diablo 3 has grossed over $450 million.
Grand Theft Auto V – Biggest Launch, Highest Grossing in 24 Hours, Quickest to Reach $1 billion
GTA V released on 17 September 2013 and was quickly snapped up by gamers all over the world. GTA V racked up $800 million in 24 hours, according to Take Two Interactive, and after three days in the market it has reached $1 billion.
GTA V truly rules supreme – and now it’s coming to PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Forbes, Activision, IGN, BGR
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I consider myself a hardcore gamer yet I have never played any of the games above. I take note of what credible game reviewers have to say about these games. The indie scene is producing high quality games at reasonable prices and AAA titles these days are the opposite of that. I’m not bovine.