Grand Theft Auto Games Have Nearly Outsold The Whole Pokemon Series
There’s no doubt that Grand Theft Auto is one of gaming’s most lucrative series. It’s almost common knowledge in the video game world that GTA’s exports have been incredibly successful, defining any gaming era they come into contact with and outselling any and all challengers. GTA V especially was a brute, tearing up gaming charts and dominating the gaming space for years on end with ports that spanned two console generations, with a rumoured new port threatening to bring that number to three. And now, there’s a new milestone that the GTA series is set to reach very soon, and it’s telling of the franchise’s chokehold on the gaming industry.
GTA Almost Outsells Pokemon
Click to enlargeThe Grand Theft Auto series has now officially sold 345 million games, which is a whopping number that’s hard to comprehend - but it’s one that’s coming up on outselling the entire Pokemon series of games, From Japan’s Red and Green all the way up to the latest titles. According to a graph by TweakTown, Pokemon is currently sat at 368 million units, which is just barely ahead of the Grand Theft Auto series. It looks like consumers like their cute creatures just a little more than vehicular manslaughter… for now.
TweakTown’s Most Popular Game Franchise
Click to enlargeAccording to the very same graph, these numbers might be huge on their own, but compared with other video game franchises, it’s slim pickings. GTA and Pokemon are only at positions four and three respectively, tailing behind a whopping top three. Call of Duty has sold 400 million copies across its franchise, tailing behind Tetris at 495. But, predictably, Mario leads the charge, with 680.83 million title sales for the whole series. It’s an insane number, and with Mario and Pokemon’s appearances on the graph, it’s clear that Nintendo has immense prowess in the gaming world.
GTA’s gain in the gaming industry is telling of the immense love for the series. There are not nearly as many titles in the franchise as there are in the likes of Pokemon or Call of Duty, but the fact that they’re still catching up in sales prove their huge popularity. Who knows, maybe GTA VI will finally push them over the edge and give developers Rockstar the edge on Pokemon.
