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Call of Duty games were 10 of the top 15 best-selling titles of the decade

In a report on US spending by the NDP Group, Call of Duty games accounted for a lion's share of the list of the decade's best-selling games.

TJ Denzer

January 17, 2020 8:50 AM

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The Call of Duty franchise undoubtedly shifted the landscape of gaming when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came out in 2007. Activision, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, and other developers behind the series have since worked tirelessly to keep it at the top tier of the first-person shooter genre (arguably to questionable effect). One thing that can’t be argued though is that over a decade later, the franchise still holds consumer attention. Market research company The NDP Group just launched a report of US spending on video games and Call of Duty games took up 10 of the top 15 games sold in digitally and physically in the US over the last decade.

NDP Group released their report on January 16, 2020 in a press release. The report includes statistics on US spending on video games in December 2019, all of 2019, and finally a ranking of games sold from both 2000 to 2009 and 2010 to 2019.

The list of top games from 2010 to 2019 is as follows:

1. Grand Theft Auto V
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
4. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops III
6. Call Of Duty: Ghosts
7. Red Dead Redemption II
8. Call of Duty: WWII
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
10. Minecraft
11. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
12. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019
13. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
14. Mario Kart 8
15. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
16. Battlefield 1
17. Battlefield 4
18. Destiny
19. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
20. Star Wars Battlefront 2015

Call of Duty’s number of spots on this list is both surprising and not surprising. On one hand, games like Call of Duty Black Ops were legitimately enjoyable and brought new life to the series arguably on par with Modern Warfare 1 and 2. On the other hand, entries like Call of Duty: Ghosts represent an incredibly stale point in the series which make it a surprise that the game is even on this list, let alone so high.

It should come as no surprise that despite Call of Duty’s prominent amount of placement on the list, Grand Theft Auto 5 is still holding the number 1 spot as one of the most popular games of all time. Even back in 2018, it was being reported that Grand Theft Auto 5 had sold over 95 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most profitable franchises in the history of entertainment media. Red Dead Redemption 2 following in the success of Grand Theft Auto 5 and making a prominent place on the list also makes sense whether you factor in the PC release or just its console success.

It should also come as no surprise that Mario Kart 8 and Minecraft made this list as versatile as the games have been in their releases, rereleases, and support among the developers and gaming communities over the years.

Whether you chock it up to actual quality or the clout that will make fans buy each one regardless of how good it is (*cough* Ghosts *cough cough* Advanced Warfare), there’s no denying that it seems that Activision had a working formula of launch over the years. One wonders if they’ll be able to carry it through 2029.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.