It’s official, folks – the crown for 2022’s top-selling game in the US belongs to none other than the highly-anticipated, adrenaline-pumping first-person shooter, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. This powerhouse of a game has officially taken the gaming world by storm, leaving its competition in the dust.
But how did we arrive at this conclusion, you might ask? Well, the credit goes to none other than the esteemed games data specialist NPD, who have meticulously compiled and analyzed last year’s sales data to bring us the definitive list of the biggest hits.
Coming in at a close second, we have the visually stunning and critically acclaimed action RPG, Elden Ring, developed by the masters of the genre, FromSoftware.
And taking the bronze medal, we have the iconic Madden NFL 23, which continues to dominate the sports genre year after year.
In fourth and fifth place, we have the highly-anticipated God of War: Ragnarok and the fan-favorite Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, respectively.
Rounding out the top ten, we have Pokemon: Scarlet/Violet, FIFA 23, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Horizon Forbidden West and MLB: The Show 22.
So, it’s clear to see that 2022 was a year of some truly fantastic games, and it’s exciting to see what the future holds for the gaming industry.
But for now, let’s raise a virtual glass to the undisputed champion, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and all the other amazing games that made the list. Cheers!
It’s quite intriguing to note that the Pokemon franchise seems to have neglected the digital realm when it comes to counting sales.
Despite being one of the most popular and beloved video game series of all time, it appears that the creators have chosen to overlook the increasingly prevalent world of digital downloads.
Similarly, MLB: The Show 22 also seems to have left out digital sales on Xbox and Switch platforms, which means that the final sales count for the game may not truly reflect its overall popularity.
Could it be that these games are even more successful than we thought? Perhaps the true extent of their reach and impact remains a mystery, hidden within the digital realm.
It’s worth pondering about the digital world’s impact on the gaming industry, and whether we are truly capturing the full extent of a game’s success in our current methods of sales tracking.
“In a post-Warzone world, the mainline Call of Duty games have felt directionless,”
“It’s as if they struggled to reckon with the standard set by Modern Warfare, and with a battle royale that thrived in the years, it was allowed to build upon those foundations. Modern Warfare 2 is both the natural evolution of where Infinity Ward left off in 2019, and a fantastic starting point for Warzone 2. Admittedly, the faster, more unflinching approach to firefights won’t be for everybody, but it’s a hell of a time if you can lock in with its rhythm.
“As it did with its reimagining of Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward has used the past as a point-of-reference rather than a blueprint, and the result is thrilling. The MW2 campaign is reliably unrevolutionary, and the multiplayer is bold enough to press against expectations – even if it isn’t successful in everything that it tries. Call of Duty is slowly wading outside of its comfort zone, and it’s all the better because of it.”
