Death Stranding is an action game developed by Kojima Productions. The game was met with positive critical reception and also performed quite well financially, with analysts estimating the game has already sold around four million copies. In an interview for Livedoor News, Kojima stated that Death Stranding sold enough copies to turn a profit and secure funding for the next project.
Albeit, the commercial sales are impressive there are still games that managed to perform much better, but there are also those that Death Stranding left behind in terms of sales, and below is the list of them. The game was published in 2019 for PlayStation 4 and a year later for Microsoft Windows. Therefore, only games that will be taken into consideration are the ones published in those years.
10 Sold More Than: Far Cry New Dawn
Far Cry New Dawn is a spin-off of the Far Cry series and a narrative sequel to Far Cry 5. The game had a smaller production team in comparison to the main entries in the series, which resulted in the game’s lower launch price. It received mixed reviews from critics and sold worse than the two previous entries, Far Cry Primal and Far Cry 5.
The game sold far less favorably than Death Stranding, and it also underperformed financially when compared to a lot of modern AAA titles. This may be a cause for concern for Ubisoft, as Far Cry has been one of their flagship titles in recent years.
9 Sold Less Than: Days Gone
Days Gone is an action-adventure game developed by little known SIE Bend Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Upon release, it didn’t impress critics, earning mediocre reviews. Keeping in mind that a game was developed by an unknown studio with average reviews, it was expected that the game wouldn’t perform well commercially—but that’s not what happened.
Days Gone managed to outsell PlayStation exclusive games like God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Last Guardian, and, of course, Death Stranding. It was the bestselling PlayStation 4 exclusive game on PSN and was among ten bestselling digital games in 2019.
8 Sold More Than: MediEvil
MediEvil is a remake of the original game published in 1998. While the critics praised the original game, the remake was met with a very mixed reception, particularly criticizing the gameplay. The game had a relatively average sales, much less than those of Death Stranding.
Still, considering that Death Stranding was a blockbuster that spent a huge amount of money on marketing and promotion while also having famous actors and singers to work on the game, it can be said that, for Sony Interactive Entertainment, which published both games, MediEvil was a relative commercial success.
7 Sold Less Than: Ring Fit Adventure
Rang Fit Adventure is an exercising action roleplaying game developed and published by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch. Upon release, the game sold exceptionally well, and the sales were further boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Demand for the game increased drastically, causing shortages in many countries. Some resellers were selling the game for 300 dollars, up from its standard retail price of 80 dollars.
As of today, the game managed to sell four million copies, making it one of the bestselling games for Nintendo Switch, while also surpassing the sales of Death Stranding.
6 Sold More Than: Shenmue 3
The original game was an exclusive for the Dreamcast, and it was also was one of the most expensive games developed at that time. The game’s fate was irrevocably tied to that of the doomed console. It was followed by Shenmue II, but, although the games did receive cult followings, they were commercial failures.
Shenmue 3 was a new project started on Kickstarter, and, through crowdfunding, it managed to receive six million dollars. In comparison, the originals game had a production and marketing cost of 47 million dollars. That being said, the sales of the game weren’t high and were much less than that of Death Stranding.
5 Sold Less Than: NBA 2K20
NBA 2K20 is as the title says a basketball game that follows the NBA league. The game like this has its specific target audience; you are into basketball, or you are not. In contrast, Death Stranding is more a blockbuster game intended for everyone. Considering that the audience is potentially much smaller for the NBA 2K20, it is a surprise how the game performed well commercially and outsold Death Stranding.
Take-Two Interactive confirmed that the game sold eigh million units. Aside from obviously performing well in North America, the game also surprisingly managed to top European digital sales.
4 Sold More Than: Half-Life: Alyx
It was long ago when Half-Life 2 came out and amazed audiences, with many regarding it as one of the best games ever created. It was followed by two expansion episodes, and, now, over a decade later, Half-Life: Alyx is here. The game is a prequel to Half-Life 2, with its events set between the first and the second game.
Death Stranding was published a year earlier, so Half-Life: Alyx will need some time to reach it in terms of sales, which are, by now, more than good. It’s one of the most successful games on Steam so far this year, managing to shift more than 600,000 digital copies so far.
3 Sold Less Than: MLB The Show 20
Like the previous entry, MLB The Show 20 is also a sports game designed primarily for the North American audiences. While popularity for baseball outside America is pretty much non-existent, the game managed to sell a really impressive number of units.
It was the third bestselling PlayStation 4 game, not only outselling Death Stranding, but also games like Resident Evil 3 and Doom Eternal. The reason for its strong sales isn’t a sudden interest in baseball in Europe, but rather a COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the real, non-virtual baseball season.
2 Sold More Than: The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man Of Medan
This game is an interactive drama with elements of survival and horror, and it was first in the planned eight installments of the Dark Pictures Anthology. The studio decided for that step after the success of their 2015 game Until Dawn.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan sold more than one million copies, but that is still not enough to surpass Death Stranding. Still, considering that the remaining seven installments are underway, the whole Dark Pictures Anthology project could pay off in a long run should the developers commit to it.
1 Sold Less Than: Madden NFL 20
Another sport game on the list is Madden NFL 20, a virtual simulation of American football. The game did sell less than the two previous entries, but it still managed to surpass sales of Death Stranding.
The game itself did receive quite good reviews, but the COVID-19 pandemic also helped in boosting its sales. Apart from that, it’s worth noting that the franchise is in the existence for more than two-decade, with more than 130 million copies sold worldwide. This just shows how experience and commitment to an already established infrastructure can lead to very successful business results.
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