Out of all the best selling gaming gear of 2014 there were quite a few games that managed to make Amazon's best-seller list in the overall video game category. Each of these games were the top of the crop when it came to moving and shaking throughout 2014.
The year is at a close and it's time to reflect on how well some games managed to do in the sales arena. The interesting thing about it is that gamers get a sound idea of what was popular and what was not. The interesting thing about Amazon's best-sellers list is that some of them are completely unassuming. It's not like you would have been able to guess what was at the top of the list and what wasn't. Nevertheless, we're only going to go over the software titles and not the hardware or accessories. So here are the games within the top 20 best-selling video game items on Amazon.
Destiny – Xbox One, PS4
Filling out the number 18 and number 20 spot is Destiny for the Xbox One and PS4. The game managed to beat out a lot of other games to land on the first page of best-selling video game items in 2014. This makes sense given that it was recently revealed that Destiny has acquired nearly 13 million unique players, as noted by Joystiq. That's pretty massive.
Of course, the stat doesn't explain if it includes shared copies, multiple family members using a single game copy or a bunch of college friends buying used copies, all of which could easily expand the unique player count by a sizable margin. Even still, Destiny managed to make Amazon's best-seller list for 2014. Given that Amazon doesn't actually list the number of units they sold we can only guess that the standard PS4 version didn't move as many units as the Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Membership, and that the Xbox One version did.
Super Smash Bros. – Wii U
Nintendo's first-party brawler for their eighth-gen home console managed to take home the number 17 spot, which is following on the 16 spot that houses another Xbox Live Gold card and preceding Destiny for the Xbox One. Super Smash Bros., for the Wii U has been critically acclaimed for its massive amount of content and unique multiplayer features. Seeing the game within Amazon's 20 best-selling video game items makes a lot of sense.
Again, we have no numbers to go by, but in the previous November NPD we see that the game grabbed the number three spot, as reported by Nintendo Life. It's entirely possible that within a very short period of time the game managed to outsell other big sellers, too. However, it does seem odd that only two full months of sales would warrant it a spot on Amazon's best-sellers of 2014.
GTA V - Xbox 360
Now here's an entry that sort of does and does not make sense. GTA V for the Xbox 360 is apparently still selling like crazy. The game managed to take the number 15 spot, with the Xbox $10 gift card and Xbox One wireless controller taking the number 13 and 14 spot, respectively. It's not surprising to see Grand Theft Auto V on the list, it just is kind of surprising to see that it's the Xbox 360 version.
All throughout the year GTA V has been making its way onto and off of the NPD's top 10 chart. Of course, the major problem with the NPD is that we never get any hard data on which SKU for which console is selling what amount. If a multiplatform game generally sells a ton of a units it makes it on the list, no matter what the sales discrepancy looks like. So, according to Amazon it looks like the discrepancy may have fallen in favor of the Xbox 360 version.
Minecraft - Xbox 360
Another Xbox 360 title... this time it's 4J Studios and Mojang's Minecraft. The game has managed to move enough stock keeping units at Amazon to capture the number 10 spot, ahead of the Xbox 360 wireless controller and the Xbox One Assassin's Creed Unity bundle. Seeing Minecraft on the list probably makes a lot of sense to a lot of gamers, so it's not too much of a shock.
Following on Microsoft's purchase of Mojang I would have expected to see the PlayStation versions skyrocket in sales with people fearing Microsoft pulling support for the other platforms. But instead it was the Xbox 360 version that still managed to stick out. This position sits well with the current NPD trend of Minecraft given that each month it was usually one of the top 10 selling software titles of the month for the Xbox 360 and PS3 throughout 2014.
Thief Gold [Digital Download]
I have no idea how this managed to get on the list but the old Windows Vista/XP edition of Thief Gold captured the number 8 spot on Amazon's best-sellers of 2014 list. This was just ahead of another Microsoft Xbox Live card and behind a DualShock 4 wireless controller. How Thief Gold managed to capture more attention than Minecraft I have no idea.
Some could point to the sales price being a prime factor given that the game is available as a digital download for only $3.50. That's a Steam price right there. What's odd is that this isn't the newest rendition of Thief that came out in 2014, this is the one from 1998. Again, I have no idea why this game sold what it did or how it managed to capture the number 8 spot, but it did.
Mario Kart 8 – Wii U
Nestling in at the number 6 spot is Mario Kart 8. This is one of the games that we love to see getting good press and making positive headway in the sales department. The fact that this game has such a high standing on the list is tantamount to the care that Nintendo put into the game and the dedication that fans have for the brand. However, the positioning on the chart leaves a lot of questions that need answering.
The game, according to Nintendo's financials, managed to sell approximately 3.5 million copies. That's pretty impressive... but highly questionable in regards to Amazon. If the game sold close to a million in both Europe and Japan, that would mean a large bulk of the million or so SKUs moved in America had to be through Amazon. The game also hasn't been topping the NPD charts recently, so it does look a little suspect on Amazon's part as to how they rank their sales.
Super Smash Bros – Nintendo 3DS
The best selling game on Amazon's list for 2014 is Super Smash Bros., for the Nintendo 3DS. Yes, Super Smash Bros., made the list twice, the first time for the Wii U and the second time for the handheld. This is easily explained away for the fact that the 3DS version has been on sale longer than the Wii U version, with the portable title being available since September and the Wii U version launching in November.
As far as sales go, this actually makes a heck of a lot of sense. Super Smash Bros., for the 3DS has been at the top or near the top of the NPD since its release. The game has received critical acclaim and has been selling out rather frequently. Seeing it take the number 5 spot behind the PlayStation 4 console seems like an appropriate way to finish out 2014. Surprisingly, Titanfall, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed, Wolfenstein, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Halo: The Master Chief Collection were absent from the top 20 list.
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