Franchise FAQ

what is the longest running video game franchise

by Freda Howell Published 1 year ago Updated 1 year ago
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Titles

Rank Franchise First release Latest release Length
1 The Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail May 1978 [Note 1] The Oregon Trail April 2, 2021 42 years, 11 months
2 Pac-Man Pac-Man July 1980 Pac-Man World Re-Pac August 25, 2022 42 years, 1 month
3 Mario Donkey Kong July 1981 Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope October 2 ... 41 years, 3 months
4 Space Invaders Space Invaders June 1978 Space Invaders Gigamax January 12, 2018 39 years, 7 months
Oct 17 2022

The Oregon Trail

Full Answer

How long does it take to become a video game franchise?

To qualify for this list, a video game franchise must have seen regular releases, with no more than 10 year-long gaps in-between, for at least twenty-five years, from a franchise's first release to its most recent.

How many MLB games are there in the franchise?

There are 36 games in the franchise, with only one of them making it to the US. That game was renamed R.B.I. Baseball, so this one is closely linked with the earlier entry on our list.

What was the first video game ever?

Some of the games you will see here are obvious classics, but we are convinced that you will notice some other outliers on this list. The first actual video game was called Spacewar and was developed for a specific computer which was so gigantic that it would occupy entire rooms at the MIT in the late 60s.

How many Galaxian games are there?

Like many long running series, Galaxian started life in the arcades of Japan. It first released in 1979 and has seen a plethora of ports and sequels leading up to 2019's Galaga Revenge. In total, there are 23 different titles in the series although the basic formula remains virtually unchanged.

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Which video game has the most sequels?

The Mario franchise holds the crown in terms of most sequels. It has spawned over two hundred games if you count both its main titles and subgenres such as Mario Kart, Paper Mario, Mario Tennis, and Mario Party.

What is the number 1 video game franchise in the world?

As of December 2021, Tetris was the best-selling video gaming franchises worldwide with almost 497 million units sold. First-person shooter series Call of Duty (published by Activision) placed second with 400 million unit sales and Nintendo-owned Super Mario was ranked third with nearly 388 million unit sales.

What is the longest surviving game?

The 10 Longest Running Video Game Franchises In History8/10 Wolfenstein (37 years)7/10 Elevator Action (38 years)6/10 Frogger (38 years)5/10 Space Invaders (38 years)4/10 Galaxian (39 years)3/10 Mario Bros. (39 years)2/10 Pac-Man (40 years)1/10 The Oregon Trail (51 years)More items...•

What is the longest running game console?

Sega's Master System doesn't have the same recognition as its successor, Sega Genesis, but it has the distinction of being the longest living system ever made. Its library lacks the company's trademark mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, but the influential RPG franchise Phantasy Star got its start on Sega's premiere console.

What is the hardest game franchise?

Top 10 hardest video games & franchises in history: Where does Elden Ring rank?Contra. Konami Be prepared to die, die, and die again.Ghosts 'n Goblins. ... Devil May Cry 3. ... Elden Ring & any other Soulsborne game. ... Cuphead. ... I Wanna Be The Guy. ... Super Meat Boy. ... Ninja Gaiden. ... More items...•

What is the best game franchise of all time?

Top 10 Best Video Game Franchises of All Time1 Super Mario Bros. If there was no Mario, I bet you most home console video games wouldn't be a reality. ... 2 The Legend of Zelda. Nothing will ever shake this. ... 3 Pokemon. ... 4 Sonic the Hedgehog. ... 5 Super Smash Bros. ... 6 Grand Theft Auto. ... 7 Halo. ... 8 Call of Duty.More items...

What is the longest game to complete 100%?

Single-Player Games That Take The Longest Time To Fully CompleteBaldur's Gate 2 Has An 88 Hour Average Completion Time. ... Final Fantasy 12 Averages 92.5 Hours To Complete. ... Completing Assassin's Creed Valhalla Takes Over 90 Hours. ... 96 Hours May Be Needed To Become Elden Lord In Elden Ring.More items...•

What is the hardest survival game?

10 Ultra-Difficult Survival Games That Are Only For The Pros8/10 The Forest.7/10 Ark: Survival Evolved.6/10 Rust.5/10 DayZ.4/10 Project Zomboid.3/10 Kenshi.2/10 Don't Starve (Together)1/10 This War Of Mine.More items...•

What games lasted 1680 hours?

I read the longest monopoly game ever played was 1680 hours, 70 days. The longest monopoly game in a bathtub was 99 hours long.

What is the most failed console?

Video game hardware failures32X.3DO Interactive Multiplayer.Amstrad GX4000 and Amstrad CPC+ range.Apple Bandai Pippin.Atari 5200.Atari Jaguar.Atari Lynx.CD-i.More items...

What is the lifespan of a PS4?

On average, a PS4 can last 5 years at least. However, things could be different in certain cases. To make sure your PS4 can last longer, you need to take care of it in your daily life. In the following content, you can get some tips that can help extend the PS4 lifespan.

What is the longest time spent gaming?

This intense and dishevelled looking lad above, is Okan Kaya of Sydney, Australia. This guy has recently set the new World Record for the longest gaming marathon, in which he reached a time of 135 hours and 50 minutes.

Is Pokemon the number 1 franchise?

Pokémon is the most valuable media franchise. Since its emergence in 1996, the Pokémon franchise has brought in a revenue of $100 billion. Other franchises in the top five include Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Star Wars, and Disney Princesses.

What was the 1 video game ever made?

Tennis for TwoTechnician Robert Dvorak spent about two weeks building the device. After a little debugging, the first video game was ready for its debut. They called the game Tennis for Two.

What is the most sold game in 2022?

Elden RingTop 10 Selling Video Games (Retail and Digital), Year-to-Date 2022RankRank Last MonthTitle11Elden Ring22LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga35Madden NFL 2343Pokemon Legends: Arceus*6 more rows

What was the first video game?

The first actual video game was called Spacewar and was developed for a specific computer which was so gigantic that it would occupy entire rooms at the MIT in the late 60s. From there, we eventually got the Magnavox Odyssey, then Pong, with the medium continuously evolving over the years. Some of those games were lost to history, but some ...

How many Megami Tensei games were made in 1987?

25 Megami Tensei (1987) - 40 Games. Another role-playing game series created in 1987, Megami Tensei spans many subgenres and birthed so many spinoffs that calculating the exact number of games in the franchise is a daunting task.

How many Castlevania games are there?

via polygon.com. Still strong after all these years, the Castlevania series has come a long way since 1986. Though the 35 games in the series more often than not remain close in spirit to the original NES classic, Konami did try to bring the franchise into the 3D world a few times, to varying success.

How many Dragon Slayer games are there?

Nevertheless, there are between 40 and 60 titles in existence, depending on whether or not you count the various ports and subseries which have evolved independently. The most famous of these is probably Legend of Heroes, which has basically eclipsed the original in the East.

What year was the Zelda franchise created?

via polygon.com. Looks like 1987 was a pretty strong year for the creation of blockbuster franchises. The Legend of Zelda was also created that year and has since captured the imagination of gamers at large and Nintendo fans in particular.

How many R.B.I. games were there in 1988?

18 R.B.I. Baseball (1988) - 13 Games. The first R.B.I. Baseball, released in 1988, was a Tengen cartridge for NES, meaning that it was unlicensed by Nintendo. It was a port of a Japanese game and used the name of MLB players for added realism.

How many Metal Gear games are there?

Now renowned for its stealth gameplay, as well as its endless cut scenes, the series has seen 18 titles, with the chronology of each being confusing to newcomers. The first game following its creator’s departure from Konami was met with mixed reviews, but fans hope that it can rebound in the future.

10 Microsoft Flight Simulator (37 years)

It's hard to believe that Microsoft Flight Simulator has been around for nearly 4 decades at this point, but it represents one of the most revolutionary franchises in gaming history. In fact, MFS has done more for flight simulator games than any other at this point, and it continues to get better.

9 Bomberman (37 years)

Bomberman has always been known as a niche party game, but its formula is popular enough to have lasted a grand total of 37 years and counting. The idea is a simple one - trap enemies by strategically placing bombs, while unlocking power-ups to give the player an advantage.

8 Wolfenstein (37 years)

Most gamers don't realize that Wolfenstein has been around a lot longer than 1992's Wolfenstein 3D, the game that helped pioneer the first-person shooter genre, leading to a plethora of underrated 1990s FPS titles.

7 Elevator Action (38 years)

For some odd reason, Elevator Action has survived the turbulent growing pains of video gaming and managed to stick around for the long haul. Its most recent release was Elevator Action Invasion, debuting in 2021. The series has been lauded for its approachable and friendly gameplay, which makes it easy to pick up and play.

6 Frogger (38 years)

Deceptively simple yet ridiculously challenging, Frogger continues to be one of the most beloved video games of all time. Entirely new generations of gamers are still picking it up and trying to master their timing enough to stop the simple little frog from becoming red paste on the asphalt.

5 Space Invaders (38 years)

Space shooter coin-op games got their start way back in 1978 with Space Invaders, and it has become one of the most recognizable video game franchises in history. There's nothing particularly special about it by today's standards, and that's the point. The gameplay remains its key selling feature.

4 Galaxian (39 years)

Galaxian arguably achieved its iconic status due to a hardware limitation in the original arcade game, which prevented the player's ship from firing more than a single shot at one time. Therefore, careful planning, practice, and strategy were absolutely vital in order to ascend to the higher rounds.

How many games are there in Smash?

In total, there are 63 different Game & Watch systems and 48 distinct games. Due to the series' long hiatus, however, it's unlikely that many of today's gamers will have ever played any of them. Thankfully, the inclusion of Mr. Game & Watch in Smash has helped to keep the series' legacy alive.

What is the challenge of video game design?

Remaining relevant in an industry that is forever changing is perhaps the ultimate challenge for a video game franchise. Not only must designers adapt to the advancements in hardware, they must also contend with the everchanging demands of gamers. Many series come and go with the seasons, but a select few have evolved to meet this challenge.

How many years has Donkey Kong been around?

9 Donkey Kong (36 Years, 37 Games) Although Donkey Kong first hit arcades back in 1981, a lack of recent releases means that the series has been active for 36 years. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars was the 37th Donkey Kong title released by Nintendo, meaning that the series has released a game at a rate of around one per year.

How many Bomberman games are there?

10 Bomberman (35 Years, 69 Games) The first Bomberman game was released on the PC-88 back in July 1983. Since then there have been 69 titles released in the series, with the latest coming in the form of the 2018 spin-off, Bombergirl. Although the series is nowhere near as popular today as it was in the 90's and early 00's, ...

How many Space Invaders games are there?

5 Space Invaders (38 Years, 21 Games) Most gamers weren't alive when Space Invaders first hit arcades back in 1978. Even so, it's one of the most recognizable series in gaming. There have only been 21 different releases, although the title has been ported to just about every system imaginable.

What games does Tom like?

Tom loves adventure games and RPGs, but is also partial to a spot of FIFA from time to time.

What is the latest game in the Oregon Trail series?

The latest game in the series is Handheld Oregon Trail, which released in 2018. Although a hugely successful series in its own right, it's perhaps best known for its meme-worthy content. Most notably, it features an infamous death-screen which informs the player that a character has died from dysentery.

20 years not enough?

20 years may be to inclusive. Any game released before 1995 with a sequel after 2015 is eligible.

List is need of massive changes

This list is in need of massive changes. Dates that don't auto-update every month (what says 40 years is now 47), unnecessarily splitting them into two-year release window sections, its overall bloated number of entries (many from non-notable series), it's just a mess.

Codifying "regular releases"

There ought to be more specific criteria for inclusion than just "regular releases", which is vague and subjective. I suggest that we require that at no point during the lifespan of the series did more than 10 years pass without any new additions to the series being added.

Removing additional franchises

I removed a bunch of franchises from the list on the grounds that there hadn't been 25 years between their first and msot recent release. This change was then reverted, on the grounds that they were initially released over 25 years ago. As an example, let's consider the FIFA series.

May 2018 update

Hello everybody. I updated the article bringing back the "Length" column, and deleted every game which had a "24 years, 11 months" label or less. Also, I made sure that the list mentions the latest release, instead of an upcoming release.

Number of entries?

Is it worth having a number of entries column? In my humble opinion, it would be very informative to have such a column. I'm not pushing for it however, so feel free to disagree. Blue Pumpkin Pie ( talk) 00:02, 23 May 2018 (UTC)

Game & Watch

Very on-the-fence about it being included here. I don't see these as being actual "video games", just a line of LCD handheld systems that also happened to get a few video game recreations. Was thinking of removing it but I'd like consensus. Namcokid47 (Contribs) 04:30, 7 September 2020 (UTC)

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