Here are the biggest video game franchises in UK history

Graphics specialist GfK has revealed the 30 highest-grossing video game franchises in UK history by box sales.

Based on 1995 data, the company claims these 30 games generated more than £26.3 billion in revenue over 27 years.

FIFA is unsurprisingly the No.1 brand in the UK, with its 50 games over almost 30 years, beating second place Call of Duty, which has played 32 games over almost 20 years.

Today, FIFA is an annualized franchise, but there have been years with many releases. GfK remembers 2006, which saw the release of FIFA 07, FIFA Street 2, FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 and FIFA Manager 07.

Meanwhile, Call of Duty’s peak – at least in physical terms – was with 2010’s Call of Duty: Black Ops and 2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

In third place is Nintendo’s Mario franchise, which includes all of Mario’s sub-brands. This data covers 109 games, with the biggest boxed sellers being Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 8, and New Super Mario Bros.

At #4 is Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series. The franchise has always been hugely popular, but GTA 5 stood out. Based on boxed sales alone, GTA 5 accounted for 40% of overall GTA franchise sales in the UK. If we were to add digital sales, it’s safe to say the breakdown would be even higher.

11 of the Top 30 games are licensed titles, such as LEGO (the biggest licensed brand), Star Wars, Tom Clancy and Harry Potter. Combined with top-selling sports brands, such as WWE, F1, PGA Tour and FIFA, the licensed games on this list have together generated £2.8 billion since 1995.

“This is an intriguing list and anyone who has followed the development of the video game industry like myself will no doubt not be surprised at the value, size and scope of this market,” said Dorian Bloch, senior client insight at GfK. games director.

“What was once considered a niche industry is now an unmistakably mainstream market generating billions in revenue a year. The characters in these games have become much-loved heroes, from Lara Croft to Luigi and Mario to Sonic The Hedgehog. Terms used in the franchises have entered our vocabulary, and there are more than a few players who could find their way around the outskirts of San Francisco since their time driving a stolen car in GTA.”

The 30 best-selling video game brands in the UK by revenue