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Best-selling Games of 2011
As our executive editor Josiah coined it in his article last fall, 2011 was the “Year of the 3.” Modern Warfare, Battlefield, Uncharted… The list goes on, almost incredibly. On top of the heavy threequel theme the gaming industry had going, it also played host to a plethora of outstanding games, as told by the many and varied Game of the Year articles containing admissions of struggle with picking the top games. Now, with all the opinions submitted and weighed, it’s plain to see that 2011 didn’t lead to a GotY consensus. So what wins? Or, more pointedly, how can we tell what wins?
One option is to look at the numbers. While many reviewers scoff at game sales as a primary indicator, for the publishers and developers, those numbers are the be-all-end-all of success. Below are the answers to the studios’ questions of, “How did we do?” in both the UK and US.
UK
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2. FIFA 12
3. Battlefield 3
4. Zumba Fitness
5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
6. Just Dance 3
7. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
8. L.A. Noire
9. Saints Row: The Third
10. Batman: Arkham City
US
1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2. Just Dance 3
3. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
4. Battlefield 3
5. Madden NFL 12
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops
7. Batman: Arkham City
8. Gears of War 3
9. Just Dance 2
10. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
It’s interesting to note, not only the similarities, but the differences between the two countries. Obviously Madden didn’t make the list in the UK, just as FIFA wasn’t included in the US top-ten. US fans also seemed slightly more enamored with some of last year’s games, as Call of Duty: Black Ops and Just Dance 2 were among the best-selling games of 2011.
Still, there are three distinct winners, at least in the popularity contest of game sales. Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, and Skyrim managed to make it to the top-five in both countries.
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