Ubisoft continues to control a widespread chunk of the video game industry. That’s because they know when to play ball. That is to say, when a new console gets announced they are there with bells on. It’s a smart business plan that has usually been a safe bet. Some console partnerships were not so kind like the Wii U.
Their games didn’t exactly fly off the shelves compared to how they sold on other consoles like Watch Dogs and Assassin’s Creed III. On the further subject of sales, just what franchises have sold the most over the years? Finding the exact data for sales numbers is not an exact science so take these numbers with a grain of salt as estimates.
10 Driver
Driver started its franchise in 1999 for the PS1 and has sold about 19M units. The last game was for iOS in 2014, Driver: Speedboat Paradise, but if one wanted to look back at a dedicated console they’d have to go to the 3DS. Driver: Renegade 3D released in 2011 for the 3DS. This series started off big and remains one of their best selling franchises even though Ubisoft seemingly forgot about it
9 Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs started its franchise in 2014 for PCs, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One and has sold about 20M units. The latest game in this trilogy was last year with Watch Dogs: Legion. While it got decent reviews, it released in a crowded market. In fact, Ubisoft sort of shot itself in the foot by releasing this, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Immortals: Fenyx Rising within a month of each other. Give these franchises room to breathe Ubisoft and sales could be better.
8 Raving Rabbids
Raving Rabbids started its franchise in 2006 for the Wii and has sold about 20M units. This began as a Rayman spinoff and has since become almost as big as the series from which it spawned. It’s so big in fact that it did the impossible. Ubisoft partnered with Nintendo for a Mario crossover game on Switch in 2017 aka Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. That was the last game in this franchise save for some phone and browser games.
7 Prince Of Persia
Prince of Persia started its franchise in 1989 for the Apple II computer and has sold about 20M units. The Sands of Time remake is due out this year, but prior to that, not counting phone games, the last big console push for this series was in 2010.
The Forgotten Sands was kind of a tie-in game to the movie although both were separate. Assassin’s Creed sort of took over the place of this franchise.
6 Petz
Petz started its franchise in 1995 for PCs and has sold about 24M units. The first title started off as a simulation game about raising dogs and cats. It has since gone on to simulate other animals as well. The overall series is more like the “Z” franchise since these games just ad that letter to the end like Dogz and Catz. The last games were in 2014 via Petz Beach and Petz Countryside.
5 Rayman
Rayman started its franchise in 1995 for the PS1 and has sold about 26M units. The last main game was Rayman Legends in 2013 but there have been quite a few iOS games as well with the latest launching in 2019. This was about the end of the UbiArt Framework phase within the company for consoles which is a shame. That engine is great and still looks good on phones but it isn’t quite the same as being able to play on a console.
4 Far Cry
Far Cry started its franchise in 2004 for PCs and has sold about 50M units. The first couple games didn’t leave much of a mark on the game industry. It would not be until Far Cry 3 that this series hit the cultural zeitgeist. Now it has turned into almost an annual franchise with games coming out about every other year. Far Cry 6, for example, should be out in 2021 at some point.
3 Just Dance
Just Dance started its franchise in 2009 for the Wii and has sold about 70M units. Since its debut it has not missed a year since. In fact, some years it even released multiple games.
It was a big hit for the exercise crowd on Wii along with kids. It has since grown even stronger after other consoles started adding motion support. Now it can even be played on phones and streamed via a web browser. It’s a fun way to loose weight and or just to liven up a party.
2 Tom Clancy
The Tom Clancy video game franchise started in 1998 for PCs and has sold about 82M units. The first game in question was Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. Funnily enough, the next game to come out is also in that sub-series,Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Quarantine, and is supposed to be out in 2021 at some point. There have only been two years in its two decade plus existence that it has not released a major title.
1 Assassin’s Creed
Assassin’s Creed started its franchise in 2007 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 and has sold about 155M units. For those paying attention to the numbers, that is almost double the amount of the previous series. That’s how big Assassin’s Creed is. It’s another game that started off with moderate praise but really got the industry jazzed with its second major game. In its long career it only missed one year, 2019, to release a new game. It is unknown if they will skip again this year.