GTA V, Call Of Duty, And A Surprise Number One: Top-Earning Games Of 2017, Revealed

Nathan Birch

11/09/2017 05:23 pm EST

(Photo: Rockstar Games)

What are the top-earning games of 2017 so far? Not just best-selling – which games have generated the most revenue for their publishers through initial game sales, DLC, microtransactions, and other money-generating schemes? The answers are somewhat surprising, and provide some insight into why many publishers make the decisions they do.

These rankings are provided by video game intelligence company Superdata Research, who recently released a full rundown of 2017 to date. In their report, they include the top 10 highest-earning games on PC, console, and mobile. Scroll on down to check them all out…

Consoles

(Photo: EA)

For consoles, we see a lot of the usual subjects – Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty, Battlefield – although you may be surprised to see FIFA 17 at the top of the list. Sure, the series is super-popular in Europe, but it's the FIFA Ultimate Team microtransactions that make it a true top earner. In fact, you see a number of sports games on the list, as they've all shrewdly begun including collectibles and microtransactions into their game.

PC

(Photo: Riot Games)

On the PC front, we see games like League of Legends, DOTA 2, and Counter-Strike dominating, proving a strong esports presence can be a huge money-maker for a publisher. The list also features several games western audiences may not be familiar with – Dungeon Fighter Online and Crossfire are hugely popular in Asia, particularly Korea, which, for its size, is the most profitable gaming territory in the world.

  • League of Legends
  • Dungeon Fighter Online
  • CrossFire
  • Fantasy Westward Jouney Online II
  • World of Warcraft
  • World of Tanks
  • DOTA 2
  • Overwatch
  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  • New Westward Jouney Online II

Mobile

(Photo: Tencent Games)

As for mobile, the top spot is taken by Honor of Kings, perhaps the most popular game in China, with over 80 million daily users. The rest of the list is occupied by other popular-in-Asia apps, and standbys like the Clash games and Lineage 2. Missing from the list? Nintendo's much-hyped and downloaded, but not terribly profitable, mobile games like Super Mario Run and Pokemon Go.

  • Honor of Kings
  • Fantasy Westard Journey
  • Monster Strike
  • Clash Royale
  • Clash of Clans
  • Game of War: Fire Age
  • Lineage 2 Revolution
  • Mobile Strike
  • Onmyogi
  • Fate/Grand Order

So, there you are – the successes that truly power the video game industry. As you may have noticed, probably a solid 80 to 90 percent of these games are free-to-play, or at least feature some sort of microtransactions. Now you know why they're in pretty much all games now.

You can check out more data from Superdata's 2017 report, right here.

[via Critical Hit]

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