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2016 in video games

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Numerous video games were released in 2016. New hardware came out as well, albeit largely refreshed and updated versions of consoles in the PlayStation 4 Pro, PlayStation 4 Slim, and Xbox One S. Commercially available virtual reality headsets were released in much greater numbers and at much lower price points than the enthusiast-only virtual reality headsets of earlier generations. Augmented reality also became mainstream with Pokémon Go.[1] Top-rated games originally released in 2016 included Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, Inside, Overwatch, Forza Horizon 3, Madden NFL 17, WWE 2K17, NBA 2K17, Dark Souls III, and Battlefield 1 and Doom 2016. The top five highest-grossing video games of 2016 were League of Legends, Honor of Kings/Arena of Valor, Monster Strike, Clash of Clans, and Dungeon Fighter Online.

Series with new installments in 2016 include Ace Attorney, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Civilization, Cossacks, Dark Souls, Dead Rising, Deus Ex, Dishonored, Digimon, Doom, Driveclub, Far Cry, FIFA, Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, Forza Horizon, Gears of War, Hearts of Iron, Hitman, Homefront, Homeworld, Kirby, Mafia, Mario Party, Master of Orion, Metroid, Mirror's Edge, Paper Mario, Persona, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, The Playroom, Pokémon, Ratchet & Clank, Shadow of the Beast, Shadow Warrior, Sonic the Hedgehog, Star Fox, Star Ocean, Street Fighter, Titanfall, Total War, Uncharted, Watch Dogs, XCOM, and Zero Escape.

In addition, 2016 saw the introduction of several new properties, including Abzû, Hyper Light Drifter, Inside, The Last Guardian, No Man's Sky, Owlboy, Obduction, Overwatch, Quantum Break, Stardew Valley, Tom Clancy's The Division, and The Witness.

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Legend

Video game platforms
3DSNintendo 3DS, 3DS Virtual Console, iQue 3DSDROIDAndroidiOSiOS, iPadOS, iPad, iPhone, iPod
LINLinuxMOBIMobile phoneOSXmacOS
PS3PlayStation 3PS4PlayStation 4PSVPlayStation Vita
PSVRPlaystation VR, PlayStation VR2QuestMeta Quest / Oculus Quest, Oculus RiftViveHTC Vive
WiiWii, WiiWare, Wii Virtual ConsoleWiiUWii U, WiiU Virtual ConsoleWINMicrosoft Windows, all
versions Windows 95 and up
X360Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Live ArcadeXOneXbox One
Genre notes
ActionAction gameAction RPGAction role-playing gameAction-adventureAction-adventure game
AdventureAdventure gameBrawlerBeat 'em upCMSConstruction and management simulation
Dungeon crawlDungeon crawlEndless runnerEndless runnerFightingFighting game
FPSFirst-person shooterGraphic adventureGraphic adventureHack and slashHack and slash
Interactive filmInteractive filmMetroidvaniaMetroidvaniaMMOMassively multiplayer online game
MOBAMultiplayer online battle arenaMusicMusic video gamePartyParty video game
PCAPoint-and-click adventurePlatformerPlatformerPuzzlePuzzle video game
Puzzle-platformerPuzzle-platformerRacingRacing gameRhythmRhythm game
RoguelikeRoguelikeRPGRole-playing video gameRTSReal-time strategy
RTTReal-time tacticsRun and gunRun and gun gameSandboxSandbox game
Scrolling shooterScrolling shooterShoot 'em upShoot 'em upShooterShooter game
SimulationSimulation video gameSportsSports video gameStealthStealth game
StrategyStrategy video gameSurvivalSurvival gameSurvival horrorSurvival horror
Tactical RPGTactical role-playing gameTBSTurn-based strategyTBTTurn-based tactics
Tower defenseTower defenseTPSThird-person shooterVehicle simVehicle simulation game
Vehicular combatVehicular combat gameVisual novelVisual novel
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Hardware releases

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Oculus Rift

The following is a list of game-related hardware released in 2016.

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Financial performance

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Analysis firm SuperData estimated that the global video game software market brought in $91 billion in revenues in 2016; this was an increase over the $74 billion estimated for 2015, but SuperData noted that their 2016 estimates included a larger data set. Of the $91 billion, $41 billion was attributed to mobile gaming, particularly the titles Clash Royale and Pokémon Go, with the largest mobile gaming section in Asia with total revenues near $25 billion.[2] Personal computer video games made up $34 billion, with $19 billion contributed from free-to-play games, and console games, retail and downloadable, were $26 and $6.6 billion, respectively.[3] The firm also identified that virtual reality (VR), professional video game sports, and streaming were still growing markets in the year.[3] DFC Intelligence reported similar numbers for revenues in the various sectors, and noted that mobile gaming revenues overtook both console and personal computer revenues in 2016.[4]

Newzoo estimated that $70.4 billion of video game revenues were made by the top 25 publicly-trading companies, led by Tencent ($10.2B), Sony ($7.9B), Activision Blizzard ($6.6B), Microsoft ($6.5B) and Apple, Inc. ($5.9B). The top ten companies brought in more than 54% of total revenues during 2016, up from 43% in 2015.[5]

IHS Markit estimated that worldwide revenue related to console hardware, software, and services was $34.7 billion, down about 2.5% from 2015; hardware sales were down from $12.8 billion to $10.5 billion, while software and service revenues were up. Sony held about 57% of the market share during 2016, followed by Microsoft and Nintendo.[6]

Within the United States, revenues from the video game industry in 2016 was estimated at $30.4 billion by the Entertainment Software Association and NPD Group, slightly up from 2015's $30.2 billion. Of that, $24.5 billion was spent on video game software, an increase of 6% from 2015. Digital purchases, which included full game purchases, downloadable content, game subscriptions, and mobile game microtransactions, made up 74% of this number, continuing a steady increase of digital sales over retail since 2010.[7] Sales were driven by the introduction of VR, Pokémon Go and Pokémon Sun and Moon, and the games Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Madden NFL 17, NBA 2K17 and Tom Clancy's The Division.[8]

Highest-grossing games

The following were 2016's top ten highest-grossing video games worldwide in terms of digital revenue (including digital purchases, microtransactions, free-to-play and pay-to-play) across all platforms (including Mobile, PC and console platforms). Six of the top ten highest-grossing games are published or owned by Tencent.

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Top-rated games

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Critically acclaimed titles

Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.

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Major awards

More information Category/Organization, 34th Golden Joystick Awards November 18, 2016 ...
  1. Certain award presentations combine these categories.
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Video game-based film and television releases

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Events

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Notable deaths

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Games released in 2016

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The following is a list of all games released in 2016.

January–March

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April–June

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July–September

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October–December

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Cancelled games

Cancelled

Discontinued

See also

References

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