It may come as a shock to many, but DriveClub, the PlayStation 4 exclusive racer that was plagued by launch issues, was the UK's best selling exclusive game of 2014. The full list, which comes from MCV, takes console bundles into account, but doesn't follow digital sales, so we can probably assume that the gorgeous drive-'em-up sold by the absolute bucket load, given that it was heavily discounted for PlayStation Plus subscribers.
However, in the bigger overall picture, DriveClub actually placed 19th in the top 100, and as you can probably guess, the top five was dominated by the likes of FIFA 15, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Grand Theft Auto V. As for new properties, Destiny shot in at number four, while Watch Dogs nibbled at its heels in fifth.
Indeed, despite what numerous armchair analysts would have you believe, the vast majority of exclusive games tended not to set the charts on fire, as indicated by LittleBigPlanet 3's position at number 52 on the list, which is followed by Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive at 53. Meanwhile, you may be surprised to learn that even a few older titles slipped into the list, including The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in 98th, and – wait for it – FIFA 14 in 7th place.
The chart is a goldmine as far as click-grabbing headlines are concerned, but what do you make of it? Take a look at the top 100, and relay your findings in the comments section below.
Top 100 Best Selling Games of 2014 in the UK
1. FIFA 15
2. CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE
3. GRAND THEFT AUTO V
4. DESTINY
5. WATCH DOGS
6. MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION
7. FIFA 14
8. FAR CRY 4
9. CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS
10. ASSASSIN'S CREED UNITY
11. MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION
12. TITANFALL
13. ASSASSIN'S CREED 4: BLACK FLAG
14. THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEO GAME
15. BATTLEFIELD 4
16. LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES
17. MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF MORDOR
18. LEGO BATMAN 3: BEYOND GOTHAM
19. DRIVECLUB
20. PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE
21. FORZA HORIZON 2
22. WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER
23. THE EVIL WITHIN
24. THE LAST OF US REMASTERED
25. WWE 2K15
26. THE CREW
27. HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION
28. SUPER SMASH BROS
29. DISNEY INFINITY 2.0
30. MARIO KART 8
31. SOUTH PARK: THE STICK OF TRUTH
32. THIEF
33. SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM
34. ALIEN: ISOLATION
35. DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION
36. JUST DANCE 2015
37. INFAMOUS: SECOND SON
38. NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS
39. LEGO THE HOBBIT
40. TOMODACHI LIFE
41. METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES
42. FORZA MOTORSPORT 5
43. ASSASSIN'S CREED ROGUE
44. POKEMON OMEGA RUBY
45. THE SIMS 4
46. FROZEN: OLAF'S QUEST
47. 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL
48. POKEMON ALPHA SAPPHIRE
49. SNIPER ELITE 3
50. RAYMAN LEGENDS
51. DISNEY INFINITY
52. LITTLEBIGPLANET 3
53. SUNSET OVERDRIVE
54. TERRARIA
55. FOOTBALL MANAGER 2015
56. BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS
57. DARK SOULS II
58. WWE 2K14
59. ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES
60. JUST DANCE 2014
61. TOMB RAIDER: DEFINITIVE EDITION
62. SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE
63. EA SPORTS UFC
64. LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES
65. GRAN TURISMO 6
66. DIABLO III REAPER OF SOULS ULTIMATE EVIL
67. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
68. BORDERLANDS: THE PRE-SEQUEL!
69. SKATE 3
70. FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014
71. KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL
72. NBA 2K14
73. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2015
74. SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED
75. LEGO STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA
76. MARIO KART 7
77. SAINTS ROW IV
78. NBA 2K15
79. POKEMON X
80. POKEMON Y
81. SONIC GENERATIONS
82. DEAD RISING 3
83. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. U
84. ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF
85. FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD REMASTER
86. LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS
87. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2
88. METRO REDUX
89. MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT
90. RYSE: SON OF ROME
91. F1 2014
92. LIGHTNING RETURNS: FINAL FANTASY XIII
93. THE SIMS 3
94. SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD
95. TRIALS FUSION
96. TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE DARK SPARK
97. THE LAST OF US
98. THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM – LEGENDARY
99. CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II
100. LEGO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
[ Image Source ]
[source mcvuk.com, via neogaf.com]
Comments 26
If 2014 was a good year for gaming I would be gobsmacked, it wasn't so I'll accept this.
So what exactly is Playstation's competitive advantage moving into the future? Their #1 game is in 19th position. This list just proves that if Valve made a serious move to the living room then Playstation would be in deep poop. (MS also to a less extent - They have the Windows eco-system to help out).
I guess Sony's developer relations might hold strong, but only for a period of time.
@eLarkos Valve are great, but I wish them the best of luck outmuscling Sony, Microsoft, and even Nintendo in the retail space.
@eLarkos This argument is based on the idea that exclusives, first and foremost, sell consoles, though. And it's abundantly clear that for most people, they don't. Look at the top 5 games on this list — all of them are on PS4 and we can probably assume that they all sold best on PS4. These games are the lifeblood, and PlayStation is an established brand.
To say that the PS4's success hinges on its exclusives — after it's just sold so unbelievably well in its first year — is crazytalk.
WOW! How did Driveclub beat out Dragon Age, Halo, Smash Bros, and Infamous???
Crazy talk.
@ShogunRok But that is precisely my point. People bought a Playstation to play games that a are available on other systems. If Valve offered a great console that had these games AND a much superior catalogue of other games that Playstation doesn't have then why buy a Playstation?
Yes, brand recognition is huge, but Xbox came into the market with zero brand recognition and took a massive piece of Playstation's pie in its first generation.
@get2sammyb So you reckon retail power is Playstation's (Sony's) trump card moving forward? If so, I respectfully, completely disagree. Valve have digital retail on lock. Sony is a 'hardcore' console. Just wait until 'hardcore' fanboys start showing off their Valvebox superior online abilities and you will see people swarming to it.
This of course all hinges on Valve being able to produce a decent console. That's why I said if Valve actually take the living room seriously, because I would imagine it would take a hell of a lot of their effort to make something great for console consumers.
Im not even really talking about Valve per se, im more interested in how Sony sits in the industry and what their strategy is moving forward.
@eLarkos I think you're living in a bubble. PlayStation is about as mainstream as it gets. You're not going to see SteamBox plastered around the stadium at the Champions League final - you do see PlayStation.
Plus, you're ignoring the fact that Sony, as an electronics company, has the infrastructure in place to supply hardware to retail stores in regions all around the globe. What you're proposing would be an absolutely colossal endeavour by Valve - even if you ignore the fact that they'd be entering a market dominated by much bigger brands.
@eLarkos To be fair, Microsoft came in with the original Xbox, and like the GameCube, didn't come close to stealing the market from the PlayStation 2. Many would argue that Sony itself allowed Microsoft to gain massive ground with the Xbox 360, what with the PlayStation 3's relatively disastrous release period and the year-long head start.
Can't speak for Valve, but I don't see why it'd want to move into the console space right now — especially when the PS4 and Xbox One are fighting so fiercely for market share. Might happen in the next generation, but I'll believe it when I see it.
@get2sammyb And I think you're living in the past. If you think that Sony's ongoing competitive advantage in the face of increasing competition is to throw money into marketing and hope people by your product then I think you will be in for a massive shock when people start to actually buy the better product.
You do realise that if Valve were to take the living room seriously they would partner with a hardware manufacturer? Samsung, Lenovo, etc. Distribution would not be an issue. Especially once consumer demand is there.
Im not talking about 2016 here. Hell, im not even talking about 2017/18/19.
Once again this is all on the basis that a company could actually make a better (or equal) console to Sony.
Im asking a question where Sony's competitive advantage lies if another large player enters the market such as Valve. So far you the only stratagy you have given me is to pump money into marketing. I didnt ask this question in hate towards Sony, im genuinely curious. Im happy you responded because I cant think of the answer, however, I disagree with you and I hope i have explained why.
@ShogunRok Yea I don't think Valve are wanting to enter just yet either. It was more of an example to try to figure out how Sony could actually compete. This list proves they cant compete with exclusives.
I'm crazy - I've considered ouya and Amazon Fire in the competitive gaming landscape - but even I don't see Steambox being that big of an issue. Price is the biggest concern, I've read about them being $600 - $700, but the perception of it being a PC connected to a tv is another. People that are serious PC gamers want to play with a mouse and keyboard, not a funky gaming controller. At a desk, not slouched on the couch, and the really serous ones want to build their own PC, not buy somebody elses.
Valve has made Steam into a big enough household name to be a factor, but I see more of a migration from PC desktop usage to Steambox tv usage than gaming concoles to PC boxes. There will be some, but it won't kill consoles. Well it won't kill Sony's console, might kill Microsofts. Nintnedo just slowly kills it's own home console to promote it's handhelds. It will be a player, but so is Ouya.
@rjejr I agree that Steamboxs in their current state/price are not an issue for Playstation. But whats stopping Lenovo putting out a cheap PS clone box that runs Steam? Runs not only the top 5 games on this list but also has far superior online functionality. Obviously this wouldn't kill Sony because nothing cheap would but a serious version of this would pose a massive threat.
Sony and MS consoles practically are PC boxes these days. DLC, Online distribution, F2P, MODS etc. Heck, Xbox runs windows. Whats the next gen going to hold? How will Sony's console be better?
I have definitely made my point now so wont continue to repeat myself but would love a response where someone can convince me that Sony actually has a competitive advantage moving forward. So far brand recognition is the big one for me.
@eLarkos It's hard to talk about PlayStation 5 already when PlayStation 4 is already so new. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make, though? Sony dominated PSone and PS2 era because it had the best box with the games that people wanted to play. It lost footing with the PS3 because its box was too expensive, poorly marketed, and difficult to develop for at first. It's (currently) on top in the PS4 era because it's fixed all of those issues.
Its competitive advantage up to this point has been having the best console that the majority of consumers around the globe want to buy. You're right, someone could do this better for sure — it's going to be incredibly, incredibly difficult, though.
This applies to all market leading products, really.
@eLarkos -"But whats stopping Lenovo putting out a cheap PS clone box that runs Steam?"
Steam has been around for over 10 years, cheap $300 PCs have been around for many years as well. If cheap Steamboxes are such a great idea why weren't they done years ago? PS1 has been going strong for 20 years, there's been plenty of time for PC to make an inroads into the living room, but it hasn't, so there must be a reason. I suggested a few before - slouching on the couch vs attentive at a desk, keyboard and mouse vs game controller, the consumer wanting a video"game" machine in their living room vs a "work" PC. Probably more as well.
I'm sure something will come along and kill Sony gaming someday, everything dies, Rome, Greece, IBM mainframes, Blackberries, pagers, Sega home consoles. And if I'm Sony I would always have an eye out for the competition - Microsoft and Ntinedno right now, Amazon, Ouya, and Steamboxes in the future, but I wouldn't really fear Steamboxes as an imminent or short term threat before the 1st 1 even launches.
@rjejr There are many reasons why cheap PC boxes were not viable 20 or even 5 years ago. A major reason is that there was no suitable PC software or developers pushing living room PC gaming because generic PC hardware was not suitable to be put under a TV. Another major reason is because the industry of living room entertainment was a fraction of what it is now. Valve have taken 10 years to conquer traditional PC gaming and now could make a move for the living room. The time happens to be now and that's why im bringing it up. My semi-hypothetical scenario involves Valve pumping resources (OS, developer support, controller support etc) into living room gaming. This is quite possible and im interested in how Sony would combat it. Better online services? Better game controllers? Better game selection? Better looking hardware design? Superior hardware performance? Im not sure they are capable of any of those these days bar design. Which you would think is a major factor however the XBO proves that its not Sony dominated disc-based hardware (entertainment hardware in general) during the 90's and this gave them a significant advantage when gaming heavily relied on discs. Sony hardly dominates any consumer level technology now, certainly not digital services and clearly their first party developers are not putting out top 5 games.
Times change and to say that Sony were great back in the day is not a good way of predicting that they will continue to lead the pack. PS4 will most likely be the last home console with its primary method of game distribution being physical. Maybe the PS5. Will I be buying the PS5? Only if its better than its competitors.
@eLarkos I think this is a topic in 5 plus years time, for now the Steam boxs won't be successful in their current state. You ask about where PlayStation fits in future? Well look back to 2012 I think it was, Sony spent an exceptional amount of money (at a time when they were haemorrhaging cash) to buy Gaikai. Sony obviously saw great technology from them but they also saw a way to future proof themselves. We're already starting to hear about PlayStation Now going on Smart TV's with tablets and phones to follow. While cloud technology might not be as good as it needs to be yet, it is a way for Sony to take the PlayStation brand into other areas if consoles died off but that seems a fair way off now.
Oh man, poor Dragon Age One of the top games of the last 10 years, probably the best game in these new-gen systems and not only it's getting beat by 34 other games, but more people bought the Fall 2014 broken games instead. I know, just my opinion, still makes me sad though.
@DrClayman If it makes you feel better, know that I and probably many others share your pain. Fantastic game.
Wow that's right folks you keep buying broken games that will send the right message to developers
@ReigningSemtex
My thoughts exactly. I don't find this news encouraging at all.
@Gamer83 @ReigningSemtex
The developers received the message loud and clear and fixed the netcode. Online worked fine from week 3 post launch onwards.
The single player game was substantial enough without online play for me.
@KALofKRYPTON
If online worked fine they'd have released the ps+ version by now. If their online architecture won't scale up to meet demand then I say it's still broken (or maybe they've just not heard of cloud computing).
I agree with @ReigningSemtex. This news is not encouraging at all.
@ShogunRok Yeah, I know man, the game has a passionate fanbase, and critical reception has been amazing on almost every outlet. Hopefully word of mouth, and all the GOTY awards it's been getting recently will push some post release sales.
Driveclub is an awesome game.never doubted evo studios on what they could do. And the amount of dlc already released is crazy. And so much of it free. I for one love that game and reckon it will only get stronger and stronger . Xx
@eLarkos you are assuming people buy one console over the other because of exclusive games. While this is the case for some, I would argue that it's not the case for the majority. I buy Sony because I dont enjoy gaming on a PC, and I think MS is one of the worst companies in the world and everything they touch is tainted by association. If Valve wanted to win console gamers over, they would have to make a locked down system that is only upgraded every 5-10 years (and force developers to support a gamepad, which they can't even do right themselves); and I doubt they are willing to do that.
@ReigningSemtex
Too late you lot have already been buying game's like Skyrim, Battlefield 4 etc in there thousands, DriveClub's campaign was 100% bug-free it was there online side that saw the problems, which again is not really uncommon.
@banacheck
I haven't bought skyrim or battlefield 4 or any other game that I have heard is broken on release
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