Despite being voted as one of the worst companies for numerous years, EA still has an impressive history in games. They have some of the biggest franchises that still make them tons of cash. What does and does not may be a bit surprising. For example, there are three big series that didn’t make the cut.
The Tiger Woods golf games are at number eleven. Mass Effect, a critical darling in reviews, is at twelve. SimCity is at thirteen and the list could go on. The point is that even though reviews may be good, they don’t translate to sales.
That might be why Mass Effect has laid dormant for so long -- especially after Andromeda's sub-par reception. But some other EA series' sales blow fan-favorites out of the water. These sales numbers are estimations as tracking down exact sales numbers for games can be tricky.
Updated May 31, 2021, by Tristan Jurkovich: Since the original publishing of this article, some new numbers have come up. One franchise will zoom to the top of the pack while the other three will be added as some nice additions to the previous rankings. In all of this news there are some unfortunate setbacks.
Some of the most prolific franchises under EA’s belt are still a mystery in terms of sales. What has the Dragon Age series sold? What about Dead Space and Plants vs Zombies? Those three should have some pretty high numbers and perhaps EA will release the data for them, among others, someday. For now, let’s take a look at the new additions.
14 The Mass Effect Series
First Game: Mass Effect
Initial Platform: Xbox 360
Release Date: November 20, 2007
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 20M
Mass Effect began as an Xbox 360 exclusive in 2007. Since then the series has gone multi-platform with three sequels, a new remastered trilogy, and there is a new game on the way. Not only that but there were books, comics, mobile games and so much more which is how the series has now sold around 20M units. The 2021 release of the remastered Mass Effect Legendary Edition has seemed to reinvigorate the fandom. People are even retracting previous overly harsh criticisms of Mass Effect: Andromeda. Let's just not discuss Anthem.
13 SimCity
First Game: SimCity
Initial Platforms: Mac, Amiga
Release Date: February 2, 1989
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 20M
The SimCity series began in 1989 as a PC mega-hit. It has since gone on to sell 20M units across the core titles but these numbers presumably include spinoffs such as SimAnt. The Sims are not included though as that is its own massive franchise for EA. It’s been a while since a proper new game released which was SimCity: BuildIt in 2014. But with the success of games like Cities Skylines, rest assured that SimCity will rise again to prominence.
12 Tiger Woods PGA Tour
First Game: PGA Tour Golf
Initial Platform: MS-DOS
Release Date: 1990
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 25M
The PGA Tour Golf series started in 1990 way before Tiger Woods was a golfing icon. Since he took over and then fell off the EA wagon, this golf series has sold around 25M units. It was a yearly franchise up until 2015 when the last game, Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, released. Assuredly it will return one of these days.
11 The Command & Conquer Series
First Game: Command & Conquer
Initial Platform: MS-DOS
Release Date: September 26, 1995
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 30M
Command & Conquer started its franchise in 1995 for PCs and has sold about 30M units. The last game to technically come out was Command & Conquer Remastered Collection in 2020, or Command & Conquer: Rivals on iOS in 2018.
However, the last big game was Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances in 2012. There were efforts after this to make a sequel with one headed by BioWare. But that game and the others after it were eventually canceled. Many people only know of the games now thanks to the Tim Curry "Space!" meme.
10 The NBA Live Series
First Game: NBA Live 95
Initial Platform: SNES
Release Date: October 1994
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 35M
There's a cold rivalry between 2K and EA when it comes to basketball games. 2K released its first NBA 2K in 1999 and fans generally regard the 2K games as being more technical. But NBA Live started its franchise in 1994 for the SNES and Sega Genesis and has sold about 35M units.
This is actually another interesting case of cancellations. The last game to come out was in 2018 via NBA Live 19. The next two games would get demoed and canceled right before they were supposed to ship. Will it happen again for NBA Live 22 this year? All odds point to yes.
9 The Medal Of Honor Series
First Game: Medal Of Honor
Initial Platform: PS1
Release Date: October 31, 1999
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 39M
Medal of Honor started its franchise in 1999 for the PS1 and has sold about 39M units. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond is the latest game which released last year as a VR game.
The game did diligent research to make it an authentic WWII experience which is to say it was part game and part documentary. Despite this commitment to realism, the game reviews were middling. It was the first big game in almost a decade so who knows if it will return again soon disappear for another decade.
8 Star Wars: Battlefront
First Game: Star Wars: Battlefront
Initial Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date: November 17, 2015
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 43M
Star Wars: Battlefront started its franchise in 2004 for PC, PS2, and the original Xbox. It went on to sell about 43M units. The franchise started under the LucasArts umbrella before EA acquired the license and absorbed sales retroactively in 2014. However, to be clear, EA has only sold about 21M units since it took over with its two current games.
This reboot duology has had its ups and downs. The last game, Star Wars Battlefront II, had a particularly rough start regarding loot boxes. EA has since course-corrected the game's trajectory, but sparked many questions around loot box gambling.
7 Bejeweled (Yes THAT Game)
First Game: Bejeweled
Initial Platforms: Mobile Devices
Release Date: May 30, 2001
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 50M
Bejeweled started its franchise in 2001 as a browser game and has sold about 50M units. Many of the mobile versions offer free-to-play options these days. The last game was Bejeweled Champions in 2020 and the puzzle series overall has rarely waned.
Sure, other mobile games have stolen some of the matching game market like Candy Crush. But Bejeweled is still beloved for the casual crowd. EA acquiring PopCap in 2011 was a good movie for a myriad of reasons.
6 The Battlefield Series
First Game: Battlefield 1942
Initial Platform: PC
Release Date: September 10, 2002
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 57M
EA and DICE are most assuredly thinking about how to reorganize the Battlefield franchise. Visceral's take with the series, Battlefield Hardline, might be the way to go. But many fans long for the halcyon days of Battlefield 1942 with insane maps for 128 players.
The historical battle series started its franchise in 2002 for PCs and has sold about 57M units. The latest game was Battlefield V in 2018 and, since then, the series has taken a sort of sabbatical. One can bet it will eventually return but the series' latest entries just can't compete with Call of Duty.
5 Apex Legends
Release Date: February 4, 2019
Current Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Mobile Devices
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 70M
Apex Legends has only been around since 2019. That said, the game has already gone on to sell 70M units which is weird considering one can get it for free. However, how EA is handling those numbers is unclear. Does that mean it’s been downloaded that many times or is that number based on just retail versions? Whatever the case may be, check out this fun fact: in its launch month, the game made around $92M for EA. Can we get Titanfall 3 now, please?
4 The Madden NFL Series
First Game: John Madden Football
Initial Platform: Apple II
Release Date: June 1, 1988
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 130M
The world's oldest modern football game franchise is still going strong today. Despite that, fans feel that the most recent entries have felt uninspired, to say the least. But Madden NFL started its franchise in 1988 for PCs and has sold about 130M units.
Since its debut, this series has yet to miss a year. That is an incredible track record for better or worse; it can be difficult to evolve on a year-to-year basis. There have been problems with this yearly rollout system but again, it is impressive to crank out these games and consistently post high sales.
3 The Need For Speed Series
First Game: The Need For Speed
Initial Platform: 3DO
Release Date: August 31, 1994
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 150M
Need for Speed started its franchise in 1994 for the now-forgotten 3DO console. It has sold about 150M units since its release which is incredible. While that console barely made a dent in video game history, this franchise certainly made a splash.
The latest game, not counting last year’s remaster of Hot Pursuit, was Need for Speed Heat in 2019. Reviews have been up and down for this series but it still carries some clout when a new game gets announced.
2 The Sims Series
First Game: The Sims
Initial Platform: PC
Release Date: February 4, 2000
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 200M
The Sims started its franchise in 2000 for PCs and has sold about 200M units. The realistic life simulator was an instant success but came about because of Maxis' SimCity from 1989.
The Sims 4 was technically the last release as of 2014, but it has received numerous expansions since then. The latest expansion, The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff, lets players do things like play Beetlejuice in a haunted house. For a dedicated casual market and sim-lovers, The Sims series is god tier.
1 The FIFA Series
First Game: FIFA International Soccer
Initial Platform: Sega Genesis
Release Date: December 15, 1993
Sales Numbers (By Units Sold): 280
FIFA started its franchise in 1993 for the Sega Genesis and has sold about 280M units. Like Madden, FIFA has never missed a year of releasing a game since it debuted. This shows how important football is to the rest of the world.
Of course, the rest of the world knows "soccer" as football. American Football/Handegg may be big in North America but Madden sales pale in comparison to the global market available for the "beautiful game". Even lesser-tier soccer games like Konami’s PES continue to sell well.