Most Popular Game Premiers Since the Inception of Gaming

The world of gaming is an insane fixture in society, with legions of fans the world over obsessing on games they can play both casually and competitively even as far as a year ahead of its release.

With games coming out every day, it may sometimes seem hard to imagine keeping track of all of them. And, indeed, most gamers don't... but we often congregate to pick up the most hyped over games coming out. There are a few game premiers that, upon occurring, go down in the history books as among the "best" gaming inceptions.

Call of Duty remains one of the most popular (and criminally overrated) game franchises of all time. Since the release of Modern Warfare back in 2007, the franchise has consistently had some of the biggest premiers around.

Modern Warfare sold nearly two million copies in the first month of its release. Black Ops III made $550 million in its first three days of release. While there remain a few bumps in the road for this franchise, it remains one of the biggest mainstream hits in video game history.

A new GTA game is not simply a game premier; it is an event. There are far fewer GTA games than CoD games, despite the fact that GTA is a far older franchise.

The games really started being successful with GTA3, which, months after release, sold over two million copies. Each game has earned more and more fanfare from the press, with GTA5 in particular earning one billion dollars in its first three days of release. From a purely financial perspective, GTA stands above the rest.

As the game that essentially sold the Xbox to a whole country, Halo did not see a huge premier, but the hype was real for its sequels.

When Halo 3 came out, the hype was real for its release. After all the build-up of the prior two games, fans were biting at the chain for the next entry in the series. Stores held promotional events, midnight releases. Lines stretched outside video game stores.

It was one of the first games to release a super-limited version of the game that cost twice the normal price, but came with a big Master Chief helmet. It remains the best selling Halo game.

That's not to say later games didn't sell well, but 3 served as the conclusion to a great saga, which, in turn, made it mean something to a huge amount of fans.

Diablo. Overwatch. Starcraft. World of Warcraft. Blizzard has become such a big deal that there is a convention just for Blizzard (Blizzcon). Blizzard spends more time updating and expanding their catalogue of games, so the release of a new game is rightfully met with some anticipation.

The release of Starcraft II literally revolutionized the South Korean e-sport scene. Diablo III's release came after years of excitement for a sequel. Overwatch saw over a year's worth of hype before even coming out. The great thing about Blizzard is that they don't just release a game. They make the build-up leading up to it an event, complete with promotional material so expansive that you basically feel as though you're slipping into familiar territory once the new game lands in your hands.

Also, they consistently sell well.

Mario has legions of fans all over the world. Every Mario game is met with tremendous fanfare. There are tons of convention appearances, special events, and, yes, release parties.

It bares noting that not all Mario games sell the same. While games like Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Sunshine sold well, they are leagues behind the sales of New Super Mario Bros Wii, which remains one of the most profitable Mario games.

Each release ends up attracting the usual Nintendo fanatics... but few Nintendo series bring in the fans quite like...

Pokemon is a mega-hit. For over 20 years, the series has sold millions upon millions of units for children and adults alike. Between promotional releases, new merchandise for over a hundred new creatures, and downloadable content, the release of a new Pocket Monsters game ends up being a huge deal.

The most recent games, Pokemon Sun and Moon, sold millions of units in America alone within weeks of its release. Given its international appeal, the game sold in every part of the world - except for Saudi Arabia, one of the few countries that banned Pokemon.