8) NieR Automata – 1.5 Million Units Sold
Even though we were confident NieR Automata looked utterly brilliant long before its release, there was equal trepidation about its potential commercial success. After all, Platinum Games hasn’t exactly been firing on all cylinders in recent years, compounded by the loss of Scalebound only weeks before NieR was scheduled to launch. More importantly, though, launching in March, NieR was sandwiched between heavy hitters such as Nioh and Horizon Zero Dawn — games that were certain to record big numbers.
However, we needn’t have worried, NieR didn’t need the breathing room. Thanks to a brilliant mashup of hack and slash action, side scrolling, and role playing, NieR was a complete breath of fresh air that totally reinvigorated the series. The narrative, too, with its case of flamboyant characters and the emotional resonance of its story was a particular highlight.
Even amid a torrent of popular games that dominated media coverage, NieR stood its ground and found a substantial following. Boosted by overwhelmingly positive review scores, NieR has rocketed to a combined digital and shipped-to-retail figure of over 1.5 million units.
