The third quarter has come to an end, and with it brings the latest monthly report from The NPD Group on how spending on the U.S. games industry is faring.
Fittingly for a September, there’s all sorts of football happening this Fall. American or otherwise.
The latest FIFA title launched in this time frame, during which overall consumer spending across Video Game Content, Hardware and Accessories declined for the 11th straight month. Good news is last year was a record high for the industry and this September was only 4% lower, a better result than certain double-digit dips during the past several months.
As shown in a chart later, even if these spending declines are happening in succession, the trend-line is turning positive. Plus, 2021 is proving to be more an outlier during which pandemic-fueled spending peaked amidst low inflation and fewer general economic pressures.
Content spending, that on software and related sources like mobile and subscriptions, was the only category to decline last month. Mobile weakness had a lot to do with that, as did its outsized impact on the overall number because it’s the largest segment by a wide margin.
“Content performance was driven by a double-digit percentage gain in non-mobile video game subscription spending,” said The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella on Twitter. “Which was offset by declines across other content segments.”
A bevy of new premium titles dotted the month’s best-sellers list. There were six new releases within the Top 8, to be exact. Many of them were sports titles, sequels or reissues. Among these, Electronic Arts’ FIFA 23 scored the software win in September, knocking its football counterpart of Madden NFL 23 down to second place.
Buying in the Hardware category continued to be a boon as this segment experienced double-digit growth now for three consecutive months. Catapulting this was PlayStation 5 as the top-selling device in September by both units and dollars. As I wrote during July and August, individual data points don’t constitute a reassuring trend. This latest month is starting to make me a believer that supply conditions are getting to where they need to be.
Now, general spending numbers from the first three quarters is still trending down overall as all three categories are currently showing declines. During 2022 to date, people have spent less on gaming than the year prior. This reflects both the historic run a year ago, people seeking entertainment in other areas in addition to macro effects such as inflation and the labor market.
Despite the gloomy headline, fitting for the impending spooky season, September’s report showed multiple reasons for optimism. See below for a full rundown of the numbers then a preview of next month’s action.
United States Games Industry Sales (August 27th, 2022 – October 1st, 2022)
In total, people in the U.S. spent just over $4 billion on gaming last month. That’s down a modest 4% compared to an all-time September high last year. Check the second chart above, in particular the green line showing year-on-year percentage changes, and it’s mostly looking up.
During the first three quarters of 2022, spending declined 8% to $38.4 billion. This movement was driven mainly by contractions in Content and Accessories categories against high comparables last year.
Content spending moved down 7% last month, the only category that wasn’t flat or higher. Its dollar amount reached $3.41 billion or roughly 84% of September’s total. This was mainly attributed to weakness in sources other than non-mobile subscription spending.
Mobile, the sub-category that dictates Content performance, continued to under-perform in September as spending dipped 5% according to Sensor Tower’s portion of the report. Underlying this movement was a worse-than-expected drop in “hypercasual” game installs, declining 40% year-on-year. Overall new installs were 3% lower than last September, marking the worst monthly output since February 2019.
There proved to be more positivity around premium software, as the launch calendar picked up during September due to annualized series. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much in the way of dollar comparisons so I’ll rely on historical rankings for at least some context.
As I mentioned earlier, FIFA 23 finished in first place during its debut month. The last soccer game from Electronic Arts to feature the FIFA branding before it switches to EA Sports FC landed one spot above its predecessor, which started at #2 in September 2021. Both titles had only a few days on sale, making the win for FIFA 23 even more impressive. Recently the publisher said this year’s title was the franchise’s largest global launch ever.
Just below August’s winner and September’s runner-up Madden NFL 23 was NBA 2K23 rounding out the Top 3, even without counting digital contribution because publisher Take-Two Interactive no longer shares it. This is the same position as NBA 2K22, which lost to the same two aforementioned sports series. Take-Two Interactive will certainly share more insight into this year’s launch during its earnings presentation in November, where I expect a potential record start.
Nintendo Switch exclusive Splatoon 3 showed up next, splashing its way to the 4th spot. It’s another title that doesn’t include digital, which means upside could be even higher. The last game launched back in July 2017, when it debuted atop the software list. Albeit during a less competitive window. If the latest game’s absolutely massive Japanese launch sales are any indication, I’m anticipating a record global launch for the franchise and one of the fastest-selling Switch games in its near six years on market.
Completing the slate of new entries on the software chart were The Last of Us Part 1, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle at 5th, 6th and 8th, respectively. While I expected a solid start for Sony’s “remake” of the legendary The Last of Us, the other two proved to be pleasant surprises. Especially JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, a series mostly localized to Eastern markets.
Looking at the list of best-sellers during the first nine months of 2022, it’s mostly unchanged since August’s result. Madden NFL 23 boosts into the Top 3 from its Top 5 debut. FIFA 23 enters the year’s best-sellers list at #11 while, further down, Saints Row 2022 jumps a few spots into the Top 15.
Check the full lists below for September and 2022 so far.
Top-Selling Games of September 2022, U.S., All Platforms (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):
- FIFA 23
- Madden NFL 23
- NBA 2K23*
- Splatoon 3*
- The Last of Us: Part 1
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
- Saints Row 2022
- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle
- Elden Ring
- Mario Kart 8*
- Minecraft
- Marvel’s Spider-Man
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- MLB: The Show 22^
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Top-Selling Games of 2022 So Far, U.S., All Platforms (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):
- Elden Ring
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Madden NFL 23
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus*
- Horizon Forbidden West
- MLB: The Show 22^
- Call of Duty: Vanguard
- Gran Turismo 7
- Kirby and The Forgotten Land*
- Mario Kart 8*
- FIFA 23
- Minecraft
- Nintendo Switch Sports*
- Madden NFL 22
- Saints Row 2022
- FIFA 22
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
- Monster Hunter Rise
Here’s the shining bright spot in September’s announcement: Hardware purchasing, which rose a fantastic 19% to $490 million. Clearly heading in the right direction after July’s 12% move and August’s 14% jump, now boasting a steady three months straight of double-digit gains. Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S families experienced similar double-digit growth.
Because of this recent spurt, Hardware was nearly flat during the first three quarters of 2022. Spending eclipsed $3.36 billion, just under the $3.41 billion in the same period last year.
This recent move is a great signal for supply easing. There are more consoles being produced, which is leading to better inventories at retail. Demand is holding up its end as well, which should continue throughout the fourth quarter holiday season and into next year.
PlayStation 5 led the pack in September by both units sold and revenue generated, same as it did in August, proving that Sony’s family is consistently improving in output leading into the back stretch of 2022. Nintendo Switch came in second place by units, while Xbox Series X|S generated the second highest dollar sales.
What’s important about this upward momentum in Hardware is how it’s happening in light of various headwinds for consumers. While inflation is somewhat easing in light of a hawkish Federal Reserve increasing interest rates, it’s still quite high. Indicators had shown discretionary spending shifting towards non-gaming activities, though console acquisition is bucking that trend. My read is that’s mainly due to pent up demand for new generation boxes.
Plus, easing inflation will have a positive impact on both sides of the equation; Better buying power and lower input costs. I expect the impending earnings season will reveal similar improvements for console manufacturers. (Check back soon for my full calendar!)
Another encouraging sign from last month’s announcement was spending on Accessories, coming in flat year-on-year at $174 million. This smaller segment is showing signs of life! Or at least stabilization, given how it’s the best monthly performance in almost a year.
“This is the first month since October 2021 in which Accessories spending did not experience a year-on-year decline,” Piscatella noted.
The NPD Group dug a bit into the fundamentals here, stating that Game Pad buying was up in September, which rose enough to offset slower Headsets/Headphones output. Backing this up, the base model Xbox Wireless Controller in carbon black was the month’s top-earning peripheral.
Still, year-to-date spend on Accessories was still down in the double-digit range because of how poorly it performed in earlier months. First nine month spend dipped 13% to $1.55 billion. While the report didn’t state it outright, I assume the year’s best-seller remained Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller.
Taking this past month as a whole, there’s a lot more to like than not with the domestic sales report. Even given the headline of 11 straight months of declines. Since the trend is improving, especially for Hardware and new premium launches, the bright spots are mounting. Supply has been the story, and that narrative is slowly getting better.
How did my predictions from August go? I thought Madden NFL 23 and Splatoon 3 would fare better, mainly underestimating the upside of FIFA 23. I also got PlayStation 5 winning on dollar sales correct, although I thought Nintendo Switch could lead on units. We’ll call that a half-win!
October is the start of the fourth quarter push, and always a great time to be a sales analyst.
Of course, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the bellwether as it launches this week. It will be the month’s best-seller, even with just a couple days on market. In a clear marketing stunt to drive early buying, pre-orders now have early access to its campaign mode.
October will also be highlighted by a couple new Switch exclusives in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope and Bayonetta 3. Both of these will benefit from the Switch effect, likely landing in the Top 7. Overwatch 2 had a massive start after shifting to its free-to-play early access model, attracting a whopping 25 million players within ten days, so I’m curious to see how this translates on the charts. A Top 3 finish isn’t out of the question, depending on purchasing of its Watchpoint Pack.
PGA Tour 2K23 can be a quiet success, though without digital I’m cautious on a Top 10 start. Gotham Knights will be shaky at best, its commercial lack of success paralleling its tepid critical reception. A Plague Tale: Requiem launched into Xbox Game Pass, so I’m not sure of its upside on the premium charts. I remain upbeat on the sports titles from recent months, especially Madden NFL 23 as the football season progresses.
If PlayStation 5 supply continues, and I expect it to happen, I’m betting it leads on units and revenue again. Partially due to Sony’s marketing deal with Activision Blizzard for Call of Duty.
And how about a rare prediction for Accessories! Microsoft continues to pump out Xbox controllers, highlighted by its more cost-friendly Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 Core starting in September. Then there’s Meta Platforms launching its high-end Meta Quest Pro headset in October. I’m quite upbeat on the category, and think it could show mid single-digit growth.
“Things are definitely moving in the right direction,” Piscatella said. “Looking forward to 2023, I’m optimistic.”
I tend to agree! We’ll see everyone back soon for my earnings calendar extravaganza and more articles focused on the industry. In the meantime, I recommend Piscatella’s detailed thread here.
Thanks for visiting! Be well, all.
*Digital Sales Not Included, ^Xbox & Nintendo Switch Digital Sales Not Included
Note: Comparisons are year-over-year unless otherwise mentioned.
Sources: Electronic Arts, Gizmodo (Image Credit), Nintendo, The NPD Group, Meta Platforms.
-Dom