The 2010s were chock full of new IP and many of them could be considered quite successful in the UK. Of the past decade, Minecraft was the bestselling new IP in the UK, which includes the retail sales of the base game as well as the two seasons of Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode. Although Minecraft originally released in 2009, it came to UK retail stores in 2013, which qualifies it for this ranking. (Editor’s Note: Games Industry, who posed the question to GfK Entertainment, a sales tracking firm in the UK, “defined new IP as a property that debuted in the last decade, unconnected to any previous existing brand.”) This is in line with the series’ other milestones, like becoming the bestselling game of all time at over 176 million copies sold, and was the most-watched game on YouTube in 2019 at over 100 billion views.
Following behind Minecraft was Destiny as the decade’s second bestselling new IP in the UK. This includes physical sales of the original game, complete editions with added DLC, and its sequel, Destiny 2. The original game released in 2014, followed by Destiny 2 in 2017. Early in 2019, series’ developer Bungie split from publisher Activision, giving the Washington-based studio full publishing rights of the Destiny franchise. Since then, Destiny 2 has gone through many changes and revisions as the studio seeks to define and refine the game’s identity.
Games Industry, who posed the question to GfK Entertainment, a sales tracking firm in the UK, “defined new IP as a property that debuted in the last decade, unconnected to any previous existing brand.”
Here is a list of the top ten bestselling new IP of the past decade in the UK:
- Minecraft (Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo)
- Destiny (Bungie/Activision Blizzard)
- Zumba Fitness (505 Games)
- Watch Dogs (Ubisoft)
- Kinect Sports (Microsoft)
- The Last of Us (Sony Interactive Entertainment)
- Dead Island (Koch/Deep Silver)
- L.A. Noire (Take 2/Rockstar Games)
- Dishonored (Bethesda)
- Titanfall (EA)
Keep in mind, this list is comprised of retail copies sold in the UK and does not take into account digital sales or money made through additional content (such as Destiny’s expansions and Season Passes).
Microsoft enjoyed success elsewhere on the list with the inclusion of Kinect Sports, which debuted for the Xbox 360 in 2010. Since then, it has sold over 3 million units worldwide and received multiple installments including Kinect Sports: Season Two and Kinect Sports Rivals.
Sony was also featured on the list, with The Last of Us, which released in the summer of 2013 prior to the launch of the PS4. Since then, it has sold over 17 million copies across PS3 and PS4. The Last of Us Part II is scheduled to release later this May.
[Source: GfK Entertainment via Games Industry]
