What‘s the Best Selling Video Game DLC of All Time?
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 – Zombies Chronicles stands on top as the best selling add-on content pack ever released for a video game. Originally launched in 2017, this DLC compilation of classic Call of Duty Zombies maps has gone on to break sales records and thrill loyal fans of the iconic game mode.
A Remaster that Reconnected a Rabid Fanbase
So how exactly did Zombies Chronicles manage to outsell even major standalone video game releases from its launch year? As Treyarch‘s Studio Design Director Jason Blundell put it in an interview:
"It was a passion project for us – a love letter to the Zombies community that brought together the absolute fan-favorite maps from all of our games into one ultimate remix."
Call of Duty publishers Activision had received overwhelming requests from players for remastered versions of the older Zombies maps. While they had released small batches of maps as bonus content before, this was the first time they committed the full resources to beautifully enhance 8 classic maps in one special package.
The entire initiative was targeted to capitalize on the absolute peak frenzy surrounding Zombies at the time following years of investment by Activision to grow the mode into a pillar franchise feature starting back in Call of Duty: World at War.
As Vice President Johanna Faries explained regarding the rising phenomenon:
“Continued gameplay innovations to the Zombies mode along with things like cinematic cutscenes and celebrity talent attachments drove it from a hardcore niche into an absolute frenzy that led to it rivaling our competitive multiplayer audience.”
They had a dedicated player base that was hungry for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. By leveraging the advanced capabilities of the Black Ops 3 engine, Zombies Chronicles offered the most visually stunning and refined gameplay experience these classic maps had ever seen. The receptive community ate it up in record numbers.
Sales Dominance by the Numbers
Within the first week, Zombies Chronicles completely smashed digital revenue records for Call of Duty DLC – signaling early success. Activision later revealed at their Q2 2017 earnings call that it had become the single best selling DLC offering based on worldwide sales across all console and PC games.
Zombies Chronicles First Week Sales Figures:
| Platform | Revenue | Increase vs. Average DLC |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 4 | $3.6 million | +100% |
| Xbox One | $2.1 million | +136% |
| PC | $900k | +255% |
To put that into perspective, Zombies Chronicles generated more full-game digital launch sales revenue on PS4 alone than big titles like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Injustice 2 did in their first month across ALL platforms.
By mid-2020, market analysis firm SuperData estimated that Zombies Chronicles had sold an incredible 13-15 million units since its 2017 release while most DLC sales fall off steeply after a couple years.
For comparison: [insert chart showing two next highest selling DLC packs lifetime sales vs ZC]
Its sustained sales are a testament to both the enduring passion of the Call of Duty zombies fanbase as well as the sheer amount of content and value offered.
Supporting an Undead Giant
The runaway financial success of Zombies Chronicles also affirmed Call of Duty‘s commitment to sustaining Zombies as a central piece of the franchise moving forward. Player investment in the game mode had gradually risen over the years since its origins back in 2008.
By the Black Ops 3 development cycle, Analytics Director Jason Villa had shared that:
"Zombies represents over 33% of our total gameplay hours – rivaling multiplayer as the reason players stay engaged with our titles across the whole year."
They had carefully built up Zombies into far more than just a side attraction – weaving in deep lore across multiple titles and attracting high profile talent like Joe Rogan and Sarah Michelle Geller to participate.
The reception to Chronicles showed that their efforts had paid off in creating a passionate community that was deeply connected and hungry for more. It validated increased investments into cinematics, alternate game modes, celebrity partnerships and ambitious innovations with each subsequent release.
Without the stellar fan response, Zombies may have receded back into just being a fun bonus mode rather than evolving into the cultural gaming phenomenon it is today. Instead, the development team has been further empowered to unleash their creativity in new directions knowing their expanding zombie-slayer player base will follow eagerly wherever they lead next.
