The Most Followed Video Game Franchises in the US

Halo, a first-person shooter series, was announced in 1999 at the Macworld Conference & Expo and was made available to the public in 2001 as Halo: Combat Evolved. The multimedia science-fiction franchise has been very successful both commercially and critically. Halo: Combat Evolved and its successor game Halo 2 sold a combined 14.8 million units before Halo 3 was introduced in 2007. By 2021, the franchise had sold 81 million copies worldwide.

This video game, whose symbol is a nefarious-looking dragon, premiered in 1992. It was originally designed as a science-fantasy-fighting-themed game starring action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, but that concept fell through. The game has been controversial from the start because of its high level of graphic violence, in which victors kill their foes instead of just knocking them out. The franchise has spawned a comic book series, an album, and a series of movies. It has grossed more than $5 billion, making it one of the most financially successful media franchises of all time.

The multilayered, multiplayer cross-platform Overwatch, developed by Blizzard Entertainment, dazzled game reviewers when it debuted in 2016, winning the IGN Game of the Year Award. Twenty-one characters brought a level of broad engagement to the game. Overwatch was also noteworthy for its transmedia storytelling strategy, which expanded the game-playing experience for players. The latest Overwatch 2 iteration, which launched in 2022, has a 35-hero roster.

Fortnite, developed by Epic Games, was released in 2017. It is available in three versions: Fortnite Battle Royale, in which up to 100 players battle to be the last person standing; Fortnite: Save the World, a survival game in which up to four players fight off zombies with traps and fortifications; and Fortnite Creative, which gives players freedom to create worlds and arenas.

Fortnite Battle Royale has in particular become a very lucrative game for Epic Games. Its notoriety has been boosted by the fact that celebrities such as the singer Drake and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster viewed the game during a streaming event in 2018.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which debuted in 2012, expands upon the team-based first-person shooter gameplay the original Counter-Strike pioneered when it was launched in 1999 by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. It is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series. Valve continues to regularly update the game. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has remained popular since its release, reaching a record of 1.4 million concurrent players in March 2023. That topped the game’s previous record of 1.3 million in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the only game on our list that has a larger share of viewers in the U.K. than the U.S.

FIFAe, the video game named after the association that oversees international soccer, is a series of association football video games developed and released each year by Electronic Arts via the EA Sports label. Players can assemble their own dream teams or play with their country’s national squad. The game can be played in 18 languages and is available in 51 countries. It is the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world, according to Guinness World Records. The video game franchise says it features more than 19,000 players, over 700 teams, and more than 30 leagues. FIFA introduced a women’s team game this year.

Super Smash Bros. was released by Nintendo in 1999. It differs from other video games in that players aim to eject opponents off the stage instead of depleting their life bars. The series features characters from other Nintendo franchises, including Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Pokémon. Each successive series has added characters, some of whom can transform into other characters. Its multiplayer mode has been well-received by video-game critics. As of Dec. 31, 2022, the latest iteration, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, had sold 30.4 million copies

One of the most recent entries on our list is Apex Legends, released by Electronic Arts, which premiered in 2019 and was released worldwide three years later. In Apex Legends, players in squads of two or three choose a character with an ability known as a Legend and fight other players to be the last squad standing. Each team drops its member into an area of the team’s choosing from a spaceship. Most of these battles take place in an area called the Frontier, which is far from Earth.

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game published by Activision in 2003. The original format was set during World War II. Subsequent scenarios include the Cold War, black ops, and the war on terror. More than 400 million copies of the series have been sold. Guinness World Records has verified the game as the biggest-selling single-shooter series of all time. Tie-ins include action figures, a card game, Mega Bloks sets by Mega Brands, and a comic book miniseries.

In both the United States and the United Kingdom, League of Legends – developed by Riot Games and debuted in 2009 – is the top video game franchise. In the U.S., it far out-distances second-place Call of Duty. League of Legends players choose from among 140 “champions” to form two teams of five each to try and destroy each other’s base. The League’s popularity has led to tie-ins such as music videos and comic books. There is an annual world championship that has drawn 100 million unique viewers and is viewed on live-streaming websites such as Twitch and YouTube and on ESPN.