Watch Dogs Is Top Selling New IP With 8 Million Units Sold

According to Ubisoft’s latest financial report Watch Dogs has sold over 8 million units across all platforms. Watch Dogs was already the “fastest selling new IP (intellectual property)” in history, having sold 4 million units in its first week on the market. Having doubled its sales since then Watch Dogs has become one of the top ten selling new IPs overall, joining the likes of Starcraft, Pokèmon, and Gran Turismo. 

Watch Dogs has become one of the best selling new IPs of all time with over 8 million units sold

Watch Dogs is an open-world action game that allows the player to hack into almost any electronic device in the game. Debuting at E3 2012, the game immediately began building buzz due to its unique gameplay twist, and incredible graphics. As the release got closer though, many fans felt the game had been downgraded in various ways. Eventually controversy erupted after the higher graphical setting were uncovered in the PC version, having been disabled for some reason. These issues and controversies don’t seem to have negatively affected sales though, given the incredible success that Ubisoft has seen with the game.

Sales overall saw a 374% increase over the same quarter of last year. Digital sales were singled out as an area seeing major improvement. Sales of digital games were up 149% for Ubisoft in the first quarter, largely due to Watch Dogs. Other games noted for improving digital sales were Trials Fusion, Child of Light, and Valiant Hearts: The Great War. 

Despite these successes, Ubisoft expects a downward trend for the next quarter when compared to second quarter 2013-2014. Sales are expected to slip by 61%, largely due to the fact that last year saw major releases like Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Black List, Rayman Legends, and Just Dance 2014. The outlook for the entire year are expected to be high, generating a €150 million profit.

As far as what platform helped Ubisoft, and Watch Dogs the most, PS4 accounted for 36% of overall sales, Xbox One and PS3 tied with 17%, and Xbox 360 and PC tied as well generating 14% of sales.

Watch Dogs is out now, and available on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. A Wii U version is expected later this year. If you are thinking about picking the game up, check out our review here.