'Call of Duty: Black Ops III' was the best-selling game of 2015

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,284   +192
Staff member

The Call of Duty franchise may be long in the tooth but gamers apparently can't get enough. Call of Duty: Black Ops III beat out all others to become the best-selling game of 2015 according to a report from market research firm NPD Group.

In North America, Call of Duty has been the top-selling franchise for seven years in a row. That doesn't mean a Call of Duty game has topped the charts each of those years. Grand Theft Auto V, for example, took that crown in 2013. Either way, it's a nod to the game's incredible staying power.

The feat is even more impressive considering Black Ops III didn't launch until November 6, giving it less than two full months to outpace all other games on the year. Scott Lowe, Activision Communications Manager, said the Call of Duty franchise has sold more than 250 million units to date.

Madden NFL 16 finished in second place followed by Fallout 4, Star Wars Battlefront and Grand Theft Auto V. Rounding out the top 10 is NBA 2K16, Minecraft, Mortal Kombat X, FIFA 16 and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Interestingly enough, sales in the video game industry - physical software, hardware and accessories - were flat year-over year with the NPD Group reporting a 1.5 percent slide in sales for the month of December.

Permalink to story.

 
Are they just counting units sent to retailers again?

Also call of duty has now just morphed into a wierd Titanfall/sci fi incredibly generic game series it seems.
 
I've not been interested in the title myself. But I've seen many young boys from 9 - 17 who are very interested in it. I don't know the demographics of the game or it's addictive qualities, but I'd guess that Activision has figured out their customer quite well in this one.
 
The majority supposedly voted for Obama as well... this just further proves that people are suckers. Falling for the same crap again and again.
 
So what was the top ten list for PC games only? You throw consoles into the mix and you're going to get a completely different (young) demographic than your run-of-the-mill PC gamer.
 
What a shame we again didn't see Half Life 3 ..... no doubt that would have topped the charts!
 
And this concludes another year with a horrible video game being awarded the number one selling position because people have no taste, are desperate to kill each other, rage and be otherwise violent and unpleasant individuals.

I'd like a year without a CoD game for a change, you know just skip 2016 and don't release anything, the fan boys would be livid, and I'd be amused.
 
This is Steams top 10 for 2015 so wont be far out from the overall

1 Grand Theft Auto 5
2 Fallout 4
3 Metal Gear Solid 5
4 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
5 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
6 Rocket League
7 Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
8 Mad Max
9 Mortal Kombat X
10 Elite Dangerous
So what was the top ten list for PC games only? You throw consoles into the mix and you're going to get a completely different (young) demographic than your run-of-the-mill PC gamer.
 
"Call of Duty has been the top-selling franchise for seven years in a row."

"Grand Theft Auto V [...] took that crown in 2013."

Contradictory!
 
"Call of Duty has been the top-selling franchise for seven years in a row."

"Grand Theft Auto V [...] took that crown in 2013."

Contradictory!
No, its not. the author clarifies. While collectively call of duty has been the top selling franchise for 7 years, GTA was the top selling GAME of 2013.
 
The majority supposedly voted for Obama as well... this just further proves that people are suckers. Falling for the same crap again and again.
I agree.
Whats really funny are the people who think own side is any better then the other. Both are bought by whoever gives them legal bribes via campaign contributions and lobbying dollars. Instead of parroting your local news station, try to think for yourself.

Call of duty is now the boy band of games, every new generation takes a bite.
 
I happen to enjoy COD, mute everyone in the game and play it for fun .
I don't know why I rag on it, its just so old, I get tired of the same game over and over. Then again if it was a game I loved, like diablo 2 I'd welcome a new content every 6 months. Your lucky, enjoy it.
 
Back