Best Selling Computer Game of All Time?
by Dreamer · in General Discussion · 04/20/2005 (6:00 pm) · 25 replies
Ok here's the deal, me and a buddy have a bet going as to what the best selling Computer Game of all time is. The loser owes the winner an entire case of beer, so you know this is some serious stuff :)
Anyways I say Solitaire (It HAS afterall, shipped with every computer since Windows 3.1)
He says that Snake game Nibbles and the various variants of it, (I think he may be including Nokia cell phones here as well).
Just curious to know which if either of us is correct. We are talking in terms of shipped copies of the game here, though not revenue.
Any takers?
Anyways I say Solitaire (It HAS afterall, shipped with every computer since Windows 3.1)
He says that Snake game Nibbles and the various variants of it, (I think he may be including Nokia cell phones here as well).
Just curious to know which if either of us is correct. We are talking in terms of shipped copies of the game here, though not revenue.
Any takers?
#2
04/20/2005 (6:20 pm)
Halo ... eh? The Guinness Book must not be what it used to because that's utter BS. I know Pokemon was up there ... but I don't know what it is now. Also, I wouldn't really count Solitaire and Snake because they were kinda mandatory ... bundling with hardware shouldn't really count ... unless it's dedicated gaming hardware anyway. I mean sure there's a lot of Snake and Solitaire games on PC's an phones but it's not like people bought the PC or phone to play them.
#3
04/20/2005 (7:49 pm)
I always thought it was the Sims for some reason...thought I read that somewhere, of course that was a few years ago.
#4
04/20/2005 (10:53 pm)
Halo was the biggest selling game for something or other, but certainlly not the biggest selling game of all time. Havent got a clue what game is though :)
#5
I believe the best selling PC Game is still the Sims.
04/21/2005 (6:27 am)
If you don't count things like minesweeper and solitare, I believe it's Super Mario Brothers, at something like 40 million units. The Game boy version of Tetris runs a close second.I believe the best selling PC Game is still the Sims.
#6
04/21/2005 (6:37 am)
I thought it was Myst but The Sims sounds right. Not my thing though too much babysitting IMO.
#7
Mile long waiting lines... for hours at midnight body surfing.
BTW I interviewed casually over 100 folks at the San Antonio launch. I wanted to ask them as
an INDY developer, what they wanted to buy. EVERYONE wants action... GOOD action..
04/21/2005 (9:01 am)
Halo2 easy...Mile long waiting lines... for hours at midnight body surfing.
BTW I interviewed casually over 100 folks at the San Antonio launch. I wanted to ask them as
an INDY developer, what they wanted to buy. EVERYONE wants action... GOOD action..
#8
Launch week sales in the US, I wouldn't doubt, though.
04/21/2005 (10:27 am)
Halo 2 hasn't matched the Sims in world wide sales.Launch week sales in the US, I wouldn't doubt, though.
#10
04/21/2005 (10:49 am)
Daikatana
#11
04/21/2005 (11:16 am)
World of warcraft? 
#12
note we're talking about "Computer Game"
04/21/2005 (11:17 am)
I think its the Sims as well... used to be Mystnote we're talking about "Computer Game"
#13
04/21/2005 (11:18 am)
Daikatana probalby has a record for the most time wasted on a game lol... I remember following that one for a good 3-5 years 
#14
04/21/2005 (11:21 am)
A console is a computer, so there is no reason not to include console titles...
#15
04/21/2005 (11:29 am)
King Bob - 2 Words... Duke Nukem I think it's going on 10 years since it was announced now...
#16
reminds me of when Resident Evil 2 came out, it had an add slip in it about the movie being "made"... lol I'm too lazy to pull up the time difference on when that game came out and when the movie came out
04/21/2005 (11:31 am)
Rofl... ok you got me on that one... though Daikatana I think had the roughest background behind it, John Romero losing most of the team etc etc...reminds me of when Resident Evil 2 came out, it had an add slip in it about the movie being "made"... lol I'm too lazy to pull up the time difference on when that game came out and when the movie came out
#17
04/21/2005 (11:41 am)
I don't either but I would like it if it was Leisure Suit Larry
#18
If you asked what are the best selling wheels, the wrong answer would be to point to ones that come with cars when they are bought, since it is the car that is being 'sold', not the wheels themselves.
So solitaire and nibbles would be the least selling games as they are so widespread everywhere (this doesn't mean they are the least money makers, however.)
MMORPGs generate the most money for a game. Ultima Online quickly earned more money than all the revenue the individual Ultima games made altogether. Yet, the earlier ultima games "sold" more. You see the context of 'selling'?
The best selling video game of all time, the video game that 'sold' the most individual non-bundled units, was Super Mario Brothers 3.
The best selling 'bundled' video game of all time is the original Super Mario Brothers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros._3
04/21/2005 (1:17 pm)
Your contest might be flawed. Saying an attached product, such as solitaire, is not considered a 'sell'. Just as joining a church and getting a free bible does not consider the bible itself as a 'sell'. So both the solitaire and nibbles examples would not be considered 'sales' as they are bundled products. One could say that Marble Blast, that comes with Macs, 'sells' a lot but the definition is that it is gaining cashflow. It gains more money, yes, but the only 'sell' was to distributor of the Mac.If you asked what are the best selling wheels, the wrong answer would be to point to ones that come with cars when they are bought, since it is the car that is being 'sold', not the wheels themselves.
So solitaire and nibbles would be the least selling games as they are so widespread everywhere (this doesn't mean they are the least money makers, however.)
MMORPGs generate the most money for a game. Ultima Online quickly earned more money than all the revenue the individual Ultima games made altogether. Yet, the earlier ultima games "sold" more. You see the context of 'selling'?
The best selling video game of all time, the video game that 'sold' the most individual non-bundled units, was Super Mario Brothers 3.
The best selling 'bundled' video game of all time is the original Super Mario Brothers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros._3
#19
04/21/2005 (1:30 pm)
He already said, "copies" not "revenue." So even if it's attached or whatever, it would count.
#20
Here's an article, but it's out of date by a couple of years unfortunately.
www.ownt.com/qtakes/2003/gamestats/gamestats.shtm
04/21/2005 (1:46 pm)
NPD Group would know, question is how much is the answer going to cost? (www.npd.com or www.npdfunworld.com)Here's an article, but it's out of date by a couple of years unfortunately.
www.ownt.com/qtakes/2003/gamestats/gamestats.shtm
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