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Video Game Sales: 2017 Favorites and a Look at the 2DS XL

Don Aguero

by Don Aguero in Entertainment

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

Nintendo 3ds, the inspiration for the 2DS XL
Photo credit: Toshiyuki IMAI [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

When it comes to video games, calculating the best-sellers is no easy feat. For starters, there are so many platforms available and physical copies are just one of many purchasing options. On top of that, the industry can be pretty cagey about its figures.

But market research company The NPD Group has found a way through to the numbers. Here are the standings for 2016 (US sales):

  1. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
  2. Battlefield 1
  3. The Division
  4. NBA 2K17
  5. Madden NFL 17
  6. Grand Theft Auto V
  7. Overwatch
  8. Call of Duty: Black Ops III
  9. FIFA 17
  10. Final Fantasy XV

 

No real surprises there. Call of Duty has been a commercial juggernaut since it was first released in 2003, and Madden and NBA2K always perform well for EA, stateside. There is no new CoD slated for release in 2017, however, so top spot is up for grabs. Which vid will be king of the sales castle? 


Odds to be the best-selling video game of 2017

Resident Evil 7: 4/1

With Resident Evil 7, Capcom had hoped to hit the four million mark by April but fell short by half a million. Three and a half million is nothing to scoff at though, and the 24th installment of the Resident Evil franchise is still a frontrunner for the top spot.

Horizon Zero Dawn: 81/19

After the flop-fest that was No Man’s Sky, Guerrilla Games puts the open-world structure back on the map with Horizon Zero Dawn. The game surpassed expectations, both in acclaim and sales.

It was released in February, and the sales have been steady since.

NBA 2K18: 10/1

NBA 2K17 was the best-selling sports game in 2016, and there’s no reason why that would change in 2017. But we’ll have to wait until September when it hits the shelves to see if that’s the case again.

Sports games rarely take the top spot, but if the stars align in NBA 2K18’s favor, this could be its year.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare: 15/1

The hype surrounding Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare helped elevate the game to the top spot last year. But once it got into gamers hands, it wasn’t too well-received. While CoD faithful snatched it up in droves, sales in recent months have fallen short of the company’s target.

However, in terms of overall sales, the latest Call of Duty installment is still doing quite well.

For Honor: 25/1

For Honor burst onto the scene in February and, in its opening week, sold over 40,000 copies. The “historical” hack and slash game was met with generally positive reviews, but sales have since plateaued.

If For Honor is going to take the prize, it’ll need a resurgence in popularity.


Nintendo 2DS XL Odds

The battle for the teen and tween gaming market intensified with the announcement of the new Nintendo 2DS XL. The 2DS XL is the love-child of the 2DS and 3DS XL, inheriting characteristics from both consoles. The 2DS XL manages to be lighter than the 3DS XL while keeping the internal specs identical. That means it will support every 3DS XL game, though it will lack a 3D display.

The console will hit store shelves July 28th, so let’s take a moment to predict the best-selling Nintendo 2DS XL games for the year.

Odds to be the best-selling Nintendo 2DS XL game of 2017

Pokémon Sun and Moon: 3/7

Believe it or not, Pokemon is well into its seventh generation, with a total of 802 kinds of Pokemon. That may seem a little excessive, but the kids just can’t to get enough of it. Sun and Moon was only released in November, and has already sold over 15 million copies. It’s no surprise that it tops the list for 2017.

Super Mario Maker: 17/3

Super Mario Maker takes the Super Mario universe and hands over creative control to the player. The game allows players to create and share their own worlds, and then play within them. The game was adapted for 3DS last December, and has already sold over 2 million copies. Not quite Pokemon numbers, but impressive nonetheless.

Mario Kart 7: 15/1

We can’t forget about the seventh installment of the Mario Kart franchise.

The wildly popular racing game is the third best-selling 3DS game of all-time, beaten only by the two Pokemon games “Sun and Moon” and “X and Y”. The game was released in 2012 and is still going strong.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice: 80/1

We need at least one game from an outsider, so here it is. Meet Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, a strange investigator/attorney adventure game that requires the player to collect evidence and defend their clients in a courtroom. Sounds too bizarre to be a best-seller, right?

Perhaps. But previous editions of the Ace Attorney franchise have actually been fairly popular.

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