Tag: Madden

10th Straight Month of Declines for U.S. Games Industry in August 2022 NPD Report Features Wins for Madden NFL & PlayStation 5

DomsPlaying

Apparently, because we can’t stop time, Summer’s close to its end here in the Northern Hemisphere. I hope you’ll take a brief moment to embrace the cool air that hits this time of year while watching your favorite football squad and reading through this latest blog of sales updates!

As it does every month, The NPD Group shared its report on consumer spending across the games industry earlier in the week. This time, it’s for August, which proved to be another down month fitting with a recent trend. Still, compared to the all-time record high of last year and considering various headwinds, it’s actually a really good result.

Spending across the three major categories of Video Game Content, Video Game Hardware and Video Game Accessories declined for the tenth consecutive month in a row, albeit a modest 5% dip to $4.1 billion. Compare that to over $4.3 billion in August 2021, and I believe this was the second best August result in tracked history. Not bad, right? Essentially, domestic sales are still in the midst of reversion towards pre-pandemic levels, and last month was slightly above this same time in 2020.

The Content segment’s contribution was down, which had an outsized impact because software and the like make up such a large portion of the domestic total. Even a hard-hitter like Madden NFL 23, which was predictably August’s best-selling premium title, and a Saints Row reboot couldn’t offset losses elsewhere, most notably in mobile.

Hardware was the standout in August, proving to be the brightest spot and yet another indication that availability is slowly improving. Especially for the latest generation of consoles. PlayStation 5 was August’s best-seller by both dollars and units. Importantly, both PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X|S family experienced double-digit gains compared to prior year, just as they did during July.

Now, one data point doesn’t make a trend. Neither does two. It’s still quite reassuring to see retail inventories going up for both Sony and Microsoft when all we’ve been hearing the past couple years is about supply issues.

Making sure to keep everything in perspective, gaming sales for 2022 are down 9%, with two of its categories in Content and Accessories showing double-digit drops. Again, we’re comparing against strong numbers this time last year. Plus, the industry is still facing pressure from inflation and spending on other entertainment verticals. This sort of stagnation was generally expected this year, and there’s still huge commercial success stories like Elden Ring even during a downturn.

“This is a huge positive shift in the previous market trend,” said The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella to GameDaily. “Of course, this has been helped by the improved supply of new console hardware. And that’s really the key question going into the holiday.”

Now I’ll take a closer look at August’s numbers, starting first with the overall figures then diving into each category. Also see below for a complete list of the month’s best-selling games.

United States Games Industry Sales (July 31st, 2022 – August 26th, 2022)

During the month of August, consumers spent upwards of $4.1 billion across the games industry, down 5% versus the same time last year. This was mainly attributed to a slowing in software, mobile and related sales, since hardware was the sole area of gains.

Spanning 2022 to date, total sales are currently $34.6 billion. This is tracking 9% lower than the same eight months in 2021, when it was over $38 billion.

Content represented the largest portion, earning $3.59 billion in August or 87.5% of overall spending. This number was down 6% year-on-year and occurred despite a major release in the Madden NFL franchise, a perennial top-seller here in the States.

That’s because mobile continued as the biggest factor, facing its second consecutive month of double-digit declines. Mobile sales dipped 10% in August, highlighting how people aren’t spending as much time or money on mobile platforms right now. This spending dip was felt by both major stores as Google Play sales dropped 22% while Apple’s App Store experienced a more modest 1% decline. The NPD Group didn’t share the top-earning mobile titles.

The big story for premium games was yet another great start for football. And no, I’m not talking about the New York Football Giants being undefeated early in the season. It’s how Madden NFL 23 debuted as August’s number one. That marks a staggering 23 straight years that Electronic Arts’ pigskin series has kicked off its debut month with a win. Talk about a long run! This hot start makes it immediately the 5th best-selling game of 2022 so far.

Below that was an under-the-radar Saints Row reboot, ranking second in August. Intriguingly, this open world crime series from Volition is used to being the bridesmaid: August 2013’s Saints Row IV began in second during its first month, also behind that year’s Madden NFL title. Before that, Saints Row: The Third achieved 8th place in November 2011. This year’s game wasn’t well-received from a critical standpoint and had a lot of technical issues, though clearly benefited from its release window for a solid start.

2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man jumped up the chart as the month’s biggest mover, leaping to third place from its prior rank of #84. Why? Well, because Sony is finally, slowly, opening its exclusive portfolio to PC players. The game’s remastered version hit PC storefronts last month. It was the top-selling game on Steam among those tracked by The NPD Group. Even Horizon Zero Dawn went from 28th up to #12, proving that the more platforms, the better for buyers.

In terms of new releases for August, the remaining best-seller was Soul Hackers 2 slotting in at #15. Which is a solid position for Atlus’ stylish role-playing game, appealing to a broader audience in the West. When a port for its predecessor hit Nintendo 3DS back in 2013, it understandably didn’t chart.

Taking a look at the 2022 rankings thus far, the only updates were caused by Madden NFL 23 kicking certain titles down the list. The Top 4 remain untouched: Elden Ring, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Horizon Forbidden West. At present, there are two franchises both with two titles among the Top 20: Call of Duty and Madden NFL. Familiar faces, indeed.

Check below for the full lists then further down for console performance and peripheral sales in August.

Top-Selling Games of August 2022, U.S., All Platforms (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):

  1. Madden NFL 23
  2. Saints Row 2022
  3. Marvel’s Spider-Man
  4. Elden Ring
  5. MultiVersus #
  6. Mario Kart 8*
  7. Minecraft
  8. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
  9. MLB The Show 22^
  10. Xenoblade Chronicles 3*
  11. Digimon Survive
  12. Horizon Forbidden West
  13. Call of Duty: Vanguard
  14. Far Cry 6
  15. Soul Hackers 2
  16. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
  17. Gran Turismo 7
  18. Kirby and the Forgotten Land*
  19. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  20. Pokémon Legends: Arceus*

Top-Selling Games of 2022 So Far, U.S., All Platforms (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):

  1. Elden Ring
  2. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
  3. Pokémon Legends: Arceus*
  4. Horizon Forbidden West
  5. Madden NFL 23
  6. MLB The Show 22^
  7. Call of Duty: Vanguard
  8. Gran Turismo 7
  9. Kirby and the Forgotten Land*
  10. Mario Kart 8*
  11. Minecraft
  12. Madden NFL 22
  13. Nintendo Switch Sports*
  14. FIFA 22
  15. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
  16. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
  17. Monster Hunter Rise
  18. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
  19. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
  20. Mario Party Superstars*

I’m happy to report prospects for Hardware are looking up. Which is especially hopeful for those in the market for a shiny new console trying to beat the holiday rush.

Hardware was the only main category that grew during August, generating $375 million in sales or 14% higher than a year ago. Which tends to happen when people can actually buy consoles. Signs point to better inventories and the demand being there to meet it.

“Supply for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles has been improving in recent weeks,” said Piscatella. “However, we still aren’t seeing full distribution, so there is still some latent demand to be met. It’s very difficult for me to say whether or not we’re seeing the end of supply constraints or a temporary respite before we move into the holiday period and seasonal demand starts to play a role.”

That’s the question, right. Are these temporary upticks that will fade once higher input costs impact manufacturers? Have suppliers shored up the supply chain enough to keep retail stock consistent? Will we see enough PlayStations and Xboxes for Americans to buy in the fourth quarter?

For now, we use the data available and try to project. PlayStation 5 took home the top spot in August by both dollar sales and units. As a reminder, while PlayStation 5 topped July by revenue, Nintendo Switch led by units. This indicates that the latest monthly win for Sony wasn’t just a result of higher average selling price; it’s a byproduct of better general availability.

Going further, that stat of how both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S displayed double-digit year-on-year growth in August is key. It’s happened now for the second month in a row. When it’s occurring not just for one manufacturer, and not just for one month, we can maybe start to project out an improved supply scenario.

Between this, rumors of Sony potentially updating the PlayStation 5 hardware soon, Valve continuing to produce its Steam Deck handheld at a more rapid pace than expected and Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella talking about how Xbox Series X|S is outpacing every prior Xbox generation, there’s evidence mounting that manufacturers and their suppliers are finally ramping up output.

However, it’s nowhere near the end of supply-side concerns. Hardware as a category is still down in spending for 2022 right now, off 4% to $2.87 billion as of August. PlayStation 5 keeps its lead as the year’s top-selling platform by dollars, while Nintendo Switch is still on top when measured by units. There’s plenty to look forward to here, while also acknowledging the risks still in the market, especially when it comes to inflationary pressure and semiconductor shortages.

Rounding out the big segments is Accessories, which experienced the largest spending drop of the bunch in August. Purchasing on peripherals and related products declined 18% last month, to $138 million.

The NPD Group report attributed these losses to slowdowns for both game pad and headset sales. Sony’s PlayStation 5 DualSense Controller in Midnight Black was the top-selling accessory, same as July.

In aggregate for 2022, spending on Accessories is down 14% to $1.38 billion. Microsoft’s Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller tops the year’s list to date, which the premium game pad has done for quite some time now.

Really, it’s been somewhat of a lull for new product launches within this segment. That will change here in the near future, as both Sony and Microsoft announced upcoming controllers. Sony debuted its PlayStation DualSense Edge around a month ago as a premium offering to go along with its base DualSense model. No word yet on release date.

Then, in early September, Microsoft revealed a couple new products in its Elite series: The “Core” model in white, which is a lower-priced entry in the premium space. Not only that, Microsoft shared that it will open up its Design Lab controller customization options to its Elite series of premium game pads starting later this year.

Both of these product lines should provide a noticeable boon for Accessories in the coming months, and I’m extremely upbeat on the DualSense Edge in particular.

Even with the multiple months of declines lately for U.S. games industry spend, there’s a lot to like about The NPD Group’s most recent report. August 2021 was a historic time for the domestic industry, recording an all-time sales high. This time around, it was only the second best August ever.

Content, notably mobile, is still stacked up against high comparables. I was more upbeat on mobile than I probably should have been, and recent results prove that it’s not immune to slowdowns. Especially as people see other places to spend on entertainment.

What’s most reassuring is the continued evidence of an upturn in console supply. Plus, there are still plenty of folks who haven’t upgraded to the newest generation, either because they couldn’t find one or didn’t want to do so. The fact that there’s better availability is a promising sign going into the back stretch of 2022.

Speaking of, why not close out with some September predictions?

Within premium software, there’s a good amount of potential best-sellers from the list of new launches: The Last of Us Part 1, Splatoon 3, NBA 2K23 and FIFA 23 chief among them.

If Take-Two Interactive was still sharing digital split, I’d bet the house on NBA 2K23 scoring September’s win. Nintendo also doesn’t share downloads, so I’m shaky on Splatoon 3 even considering its tremendous start in Japan of 3.45 million units in three days.

Then there’s FIFA 23, representing the secondary form of football around these parts. Last year, FIFA 22 outranked NBA 2K22 during their first month on sale. Could there be a repeat?

Well, I’m actually thinking Madden NFL 23 goes back-to-back and scores September’s top slot. Then, Splatoon 3 will be right behind it followed by a combination of FIFA 23 and NBA 2K23. PlayStation’s The Last of Us Part 1 will be in the Top 7, I’m just hesitant on its upside.

What this all really means is September will be a fun one for software sales nerds!

Within consoles, I’m guessing PlayStation 5 earns top marks on revenue and Nintendo Switch sells the most units. Primarily because Splatoon 3 is the closest thing the Switch has had to a “system seller” in years.

That brings an end to August’s recap and September’s predictions. I’d point you to Piscatella’s Twitter thread for more information about the report.

I’ll be on vacation soon, though happy to reply to any questions or comments here or on social media in the meantime. Thanks all for hanging out, and be well!

*Digital Sales Not Included, ^Xbox & Nintendo Switch Digital Sales Not Included, #Founder’s Pack Edition Sales Only

Note: Comparisons are year-over-year unless otherwise mentioned.

Sources: GameDaily, Nikkei Asia (Image Credit), Nintendo, The NPD Group.

-Dom

Madden Wins & Nintendo Sets a Record in August Games Industry Sales Report

DomsPlaying1 Comment

The push toward the goal line of 2020 is now officially underway, as signaled by the annual release of a new Madden game.

And this year’s proves to be another big seller, pushing games industry growth up double-digits here in the States.

During August 2020, Electronic Arts’ Madden NFL 21 and Nintendo’s Switch console attracted the most dollar sales in their respective categories domestically, with the former increasing the franchise streak of commercial success and the latter setting a new August month record. This is all according to the latest monthly report from tracking firm The NPD Group.

Overall, stay-at-home restrictions and everyone trying to get the most out of the relaxing days before school starts drove consumer spending across the games industry in August to $3.3 billion. That’s up 37% since this same time period last year. (Get used to that number.)

“Digital content on console, mobile and subscription were among largest growth segments,” said my friend and NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella.

Expanding to year-to-date spend, this is up 23% across 2020 so far to a total sum of $29.4 billion. Every category jumped more than 20% in August. The three main ones now being Video Game Hardware, Video Game Content and Video Game Accessories as I detailed last month.

As I’ll describe shortly, 2020 continues to be a remarkable year when it comes to gaming sales across multiple segments even amidst the ongoing difficulties of coronavirus. It’s one of the main viable forms of experiencing new entertainment at home, especially as film studios continue to push major motion pictures to theaters. Gaming is excellent at bringing people together remotely, and almost all companies involved are benefactors whether it’s those producing free-to-play releases like Fall Guys and Among Us or the traditional full-price model as we’ll see here.

On to the numbers.

United States Games Industry Sales (August 2nd to August 29th):

As displayed in the above chart compiled by The NPD Group, Video Game Content i.e. software and in-game purchases sales rose 37% (there it is again) in August 2020, reaching $2.9 billion. For the year as a whole thru last month, content category spend hit $25.9 billion which is up 22%.

The major highlight during August was Madden NFL 21, the best-selling title last month. This marked the 21st straight year that a game in the Electronic Arts-published football franchise has led the overall chart during its first month. It’s a streak that provides context for just how consistent the annualized series is commercially.

Launch month sales doubled when compared to Madden NFL 20, making it instantly the sixth best-selling game of 2020 to date. Surpassing games with months of sales like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and MLB: The Show 20. The continued early success here reiterates the Madden NFL brand as the top-selling sports franchise in the multiple decade history of tracking.

Another Electronic Arts game reached second place on the August list, that being UFC 4. The mixed martial arts simulator set a launch sales record for UFC games produced by EA, dating back to 2014. The game ranked within the Top 3 of the individual charts for both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platform results.

The other ongoing stories were Call of Duty: Modern Warfare rounding out the Top 3 while games published by Nintendo occupied six spots within the Top 11. Animal Crossing: New Horizons showed steady momentum, landing it at #5 while fitness game Ring Fit Adventure finished right behind it.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild reached an impressive milestone in August, as it’s now the 10th best-selling game on a Nintendo platform of all time domestically. It was a launch title for Nintendo Switch back in March 2017, since which time it’s been in the Top 7 on that platform’s list of software sellers every single month.

Another note in perusing the lists is the notable scarcity of games from publisher Take-Two Interactive, owner of Rockstar Games and 2K Games. Its golf game PGA Tour 2K21 landed at #14 on the main chart, a respectable yet pedestrian result, and its sports titles randomly made the single platform lists. Though staples like Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 are nowhere to be found. My understanding is this stems from a change in how the company is reporting its downloadable portion, as its games are now flagged similar to Nintendo’s without digital sales.

I expect its flagship basketball title NBA 2K21, released back on September 4th, to perform very well during September’s report. However I can’t shake the odd feeling of not seeing Rockstar on any of the lists, when I know its games are still attracting players and dollars.

Anyways, full charts for August and year-to-date below.

Top-Selling Games of August 2020, U.S. (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):

  1. Madden NFL 21
  2. UFC 4
  3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
  4. Ghost of Tsushima
  5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
  6. Ring Fit Adventure
  7. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*
  8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
  9. Paper Mario: The Origami King*
  10. Mortal Kombat 11
  11. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
  12. The Last of Us: Part 2
  13. Minecraft: PS4 Edition
  14. PGA Tour 2K21*
  15. New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe*
  16. Super Mario Party*
  17. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
  18. Super Mario Odyssey*
  19. Final Fantasy 7: Remake
  20. Luigi’s Mansion 3*

Top-Selling Games of 2020 So Far, U.S. (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):

  1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
  2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons*
  3. The Last of Us: Part 2
  4. Final Fantasy 7: Remake
  5. Ghost of Tsushima
  6. Madden NFL 21
  7. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
  8. MLB: The Show 20
  9. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*
  10. Mortal Kombat 11

Within the Video Game Hardware category, consumer spending totaled $229 million last month which was growth of 37% (a ha! we meet again) when compared to August 2019. For year-to-date figures, spending on consoles was up 23% to $2 billion flat.

While Nintendo Switch continued its dominance as the best-selling hardware, a spot it’s held each monthly report since late 2018, August proved an especially exceptional result. The hybrid platform set a new August month record for dollar sales, outpacing that of the Nintendo Wii back in August 2008. Also, unit sales doubled since this time last year. Considering its recent momentum and ongoing demand, this shows what can happen when the supply side and inventories catch up to consumer interest.

Going back three years ago, right before Switch hit the market, I was on record as one of the most bullish on its prospects. I loved the hardware design and thought that a combination of that ingenuity and Nintendo’s software prowess, Switch would be one of the firm’s most successful consoles ever. But I stopped short of predicting it would beat the Wii, a global phenomenon in the years after its 2006 launch.

These days, I’m reconsidering that. Especially with word that the company is further ramping up production into the back half of this fiscal year and the speculation of another model next year, I’m now betting that Switch lifetime sales meet or exceed that of Wii globally.

Want another prediction that we’ll know sooner than that? Looking domestically according to these reports, I’m planting my flag that Nintendo will win the holiday months even with the start of next generation, mainly due to supply opening up for Nintendo’s box and limits on inventory for its competitors in the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.

Whew. Back to the report itself, Video Game Accessories also set an August record last month by jumping 42% to $166 million in dollar sales. Expanding to full year, sales within this category reached an all-time high through an August month at $1.4 billion, exhibiting growth of 26% year-over-year.

Sub-categories sales here for Gamepad, Headsets/Headphones and even Steering Wheels boasted August and year-to-date records too, though no growth or cash totals were provided. PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 wireless black model was top-selling accessory in August. Xbox’s Elite Series 2 game pad maintains its spot as the year’s top seller so far.

Moving into the back part of Q3 then holiday season is when these reports really ramp up, this year more than ever with Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 releasing in early September. (Get it?)

Though really, the combination of coronavirus restrictions, Nintendo’s slate now being clear with Mario’s 35th anniversary games including Super Mario 3D All-Stars then Pikmin 3 plus of course new generation consoles starting in November as I write about before with Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S announcements, this is the starting whistle of the more newsworthy months in industry tracking.

Highly recommend NPD Group’s post and NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella’s thread for a great summary and further details on the results and individual platform rankings.

Stay safe everyone. Thanks for hanging out!

*Digital Sales Not Included

Sources: Bloomberg, Electronic Arts, NPD Group.

-Dom

Madden NFL 20 Remains Victorious as U.S. Video Game Sales Slow in August

DomsPlaying1 Comment

Football season has finally kicked off here in the States, and Madden NFL 20 scores yet another victory on the domestic monthly video games sales charts. An impressive streak for the perennial best seller, even if overall software sales hit a slump in August.

This year’s installment in the Madden franchise was the top-selling game last month between August 4th and August 31st, according to industry research firm The NPD Group. Based on this solid momentum, Madden NFL 20 has moved up the standings to become the 3rd best-selling title of 2019 to date.

It’s a recurring theme. This is the seventh year in a row that an Madden game has led August. In fact, the annualized series itself is the number one selling sports franchise of all time in the country. It’s the most consistent in this segment for good reason, reiterating that football is the most popular sport in America.

Publisher Electronic Arts recently shared that this year’s title welcomed the most players ever for a National Football League (NFL) opening weekend. While the figures are definitely padded by a free trial effort, combining this with its two consecutive months atop the monthly sales chart and vaulting to #3 on the year-to-date shows not only how much of a sales giant it is but also how it’s still part of both sports and casual gaming culture.

The best part is Madden serves as the metaphorical first whistle signalling the start of the Fall sales season, which really picks up next month then culminates during the holidays. Speaking of sales, let’s get into the numbers.

In terms of overall spending on the games industry last month, consumers racked up $666 million across hardware, software and accessories/game cards. A figure which is down 18% compared to this time last year. For 2019 to date, industry spend is $7 billion in total. Six percent lower than the comparable period leading up to August 2018.

Each of the three main segments saw declines, though the eye-catching statistic resides within software. Consumer spend on games totaled $257 million, a decline of 22% year-on-year. This is the lowest figure for an August month in 20 years when spend on software totaled $234 million back in 1998. The summer is a notoriously slower time for games, even more pronounced this year due to where we are in the general console cycle.

Here’s the thing. The data is clear, August was way slow. However, when broadening the scope to look at the full year, software spending in the U.S. is actually up since last year. Overall software sales rose slightly to $3.1 billion, boosting up 1% compared to the same time frame during 2018.

Strength in Nintendo Switch output is obviously fueling this growth amidst long-in-the-tooth competitors, though I’d argue legacy multi-platform games like Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V still appeal to folks capitalizing on console discounts and buying the half-step PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X hardware iterations.

There you have it, I’ve found the silver lining in a somewhat dreary report. Context is important. It’s not just about each month, it’s about how that month impacts the aggregate.

Moving over to hardware, this segment dipped 22% to $167 million. Switch was the only console to see growth since last August. For the year so far, hardware is sitting at $1.6 billion which is a decline of 21%.

In case the trend isn’t obvious, Nintendo Switch yet again earned the top hardware spot as measured by dollar sales and units sold. The same as it’s done since the holiday season in 2018. Because of this, it retains its position as the best-selling console of 2019. I wouldn’t be surprised if this holds through November and beyond. Can discounts on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One can do anything to stymie Switch’s run?

Accessories and game pads round out the three main segments, generating $242 million in August and totaling $2.3 billion for 2019 to date. These figures are down 6% and 2%, respectfully.

Here’s the thing. The data is clear, August was way slow. However, when broadening the scope to look at the full year, software spending in the U.S. is actually up since last year. Overall software sales rose slightly to $3.1 billion, boosting up 1% compared to the same time frame during 2018.

On to the rankings!

Let’s see the software list then delve into it. First we’ve got the August monthly game chart, then the year-to-date best sellers. This is based on dollar sales when combining physical and digital for those companies that participate in The NPD Group’s data gathering effort.

Top-Selling Games of August 2019 (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):

  1. Madden NFL 20^
  2. Minecraft#
  3. Grand Theft Auto V
  4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses*
  5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
  6. Super Mario Maker 2*
  7. Mario Kart 8*
  8. Mortal Kombat 11
  9. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
  10. Astral Chain*
  11. Marvel’s Spider-Man
  12. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
  13. Red Dead Redemption 2
  14. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4^
  15. Age of Wonders: Planetfall
  16. Super Mario Party*
  17. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order*
  18. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
  19. The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan
  20. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Top-Selling Games of 2019 (Year to Date):

  1. Mortal Kombat 11
  2. Kingdom Hearts 3
  3. Madden NFL 20^
  4. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2^
  5. Anthem^
  6. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
  7. Resident Evil 2 Remake
  8. Grand Theft Auto V
  9. Red Dead Redemption 2
  10. Days Gone

^Digital PC Sales Not Included, *Digital Sales Not Included, #Digital Sales on Consoles Included

Beyond Madden in the lead, Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V round up the top two spots. Nope, this isn’t 2014. Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Both are still selling, especially during a slower month for new releases other than a major sports franchise. My ongoing theory is every new console buy means a copy of at least one of these games, if not both. Especially Grand Theft Auto V. Following these mainstay legacy titles were Fire Emblem: Three Houses at the 4th spot then Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighting to #5.

In fact, the list is a whole bunch of Nintendo. Half of the top ten is comprised of games published by the Japanese gaming giant exclusively for Switch. This includes the only brand new release squeezing into the Top 10: Astral Chain. The third-person action game developed by PlatinumGames debuted at #10 during August. Considering Nintendo doesn’t share the digital portion of software sales, this is an even more impressive start. Especially knowing the game isn’t part of an established franchise, albeit made by a popular developer.

Quick note on Fire Emblem: Three Houses, this is its second month within the Top 5 overall list as last month it occupied the #2 spot. Its second month sales were the best ever for a game within the Fire Emblem series, and it’s approaching lifetime sales of the franchise top-seller 2012’s Fire Emblem: Awakening. A testament to both Nintendo’s software direction plus the global appeal of the brand now.

Another new title which is much deserving of a shout out is Age of Wonders: Planetfall from developer Triumph Studios and publisher Paradox Interactive. This fifth iteration within the Age of Wonders strategy series released early in the month and landed at #15. Most impressively, it generated the best initial month ever for an Age of Wonders game in dollar sales terms. For a release within a more niche genre usually targeting the PC crowd, grabbing a Top 15 spot is excellent.

On the other hand, a couple other major August releases didn’t fare as well. The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan, the first installment in a new horror franchise from Supermassive Games, cracked the Top 20 with its start at #19. Considering the multi-platform title’s late August release window plus its lower price point, this actually isn’t too bad of a result.

Remedy Entertainment’s Control on the other hand didn’t make it into the Top 20. While critically acclaimed, including in a review from your boy, the combination of releasing within days of the month end plus no digital sales here means it’s not part of the top-sellers. That caveat of publisher 505 Games not contributing digital sales is important, so really this ranking isn’t telling the entire story. A full story which, unfortunately, we likely won’t hear without the publisher sharing anything official.

That about wraps it up for this monthly report. Regular visitors will already know, but in case it’s your first time: friend of the site Mat Piscatella is an essential follow on Twitter as an analyst representing the NPD Group. Check out his video for further details on last month’s data, including individual platform rankings and all that fun stuff.

Till next time. Stay safe.

Source: The NPD Group, Electronic Arts, Nintendo, Paradox Entertainment, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

-Dom

Madden Scores & Fire Emblem Soars in July’s Monthly U.S. Game Sales Report

DomsPlaying
Madden is a perennial sales Giant

The summer is cooling off here in the States, which means the video games sales charts are starting to heat up. Each year, Electronic Arts’ football franchise Madden effectively kicks off a packed release schedule for the early Fall leading into the holiday season. As it stands, yes, we’re now in the trenches (my fellow football fans know).

The latest installment Madden NFL 20 released a bit earlier than usual, which means it just quarterback snuck into The NPD Group’s tracking period for July (which ran from July 7th to August 3rd). Its widespread brand recognition led to scoring the top spot in last month’s combined sales rankings, as measured by total dollar sales generated. Amazingly, this is the 20th *consecutive* annual Madden game that’s earned the overall lead in its release month, a staggering accomplishment for the team at the major U.S. publisher.

Keep in mind, its statistics count only a couple days on sale.

Madden NFL 20 laid out its competition to instantly become 8th best-selling game for the entirety of 2019 to date. This speaks to the strength of the franchise amidst a broad national audience, plus the sheer popularity of football as a sport domestically. Electronic Arts recently announced strong final week pre-orders plus that “well over half” of launch sales were digital, marking the first time digital has outpaced retail in the series’ long history. However, what the company didn’t share is even more intriguing. Does this mean that total sales are lower compared to last year? It’s possible this is the case, even if its launch sales are solid compared to non-Madden titles.

Anyone that tracks these things knows the franchise is a perennial winner in the U.S. marker. Early indications prove it will once again likely achieve Top 5 status when 2019 wraps up its final quarter.

All that said, I’d argue the most impressive story of July’s charts and really 2019 as a whole continues to be Nintendo. Six of the Top 10 games last month are available on its Switch hybrid hardware. The standouts being a scorching debut for Fire Emblem: Three Houses, which secured the 2nd overall spot, and a somewhat surprise seller in Team Ninja’s Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order as it assembled enough cash to reach its #4 ranking.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses achieved the best single launch month in Fire Emblem history, as the latest strategy JRPG mash-up outsold the previous leader: 2017’s Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia.

Its fantastic release strength now makes Three Houses the 2nd top-selling title in the series ever domestically, behind only Fire Emblem: Awakening from 2012. Yes. Ever. With only a month of tracking. This is incredible, and a testament to its now global appeal. Which I’ll partly attribute to characters being included in the successful Super Smash Bros. mash-up fighting games, as its latest release from December is still charting.

I know I shouldn’t be shocked a game featuring the Avengers and related superheroes would sell so well. Still, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is a Nintendo Switch exclusive which means only a segment of the market can purchase it. And purchase it, that segment did. Which makes its Top 4 position that much more notable. Previously, its predecessor grabbed the #7 spot at launch in September 2009. Knowing the demand for Avengers right now is sky high, I’m curious to know how well the multi-platform Marvel’s Avengers from Square Enix will fare when it’s out in May 2020. (I’d imagine Marvel will still be popular then. This is the expert analysis you’ve come to expect, I know.)

It’s worth noting that Switch results are actually even crazier than it seems initially. Nintendo doesn’t share digital in the context of NPD charts. Which means physical alone boosted these games up the list. Combined sales are even higher! I was quite bullish on Fire Emblem: Three Houses from jump, though admittedly underestimated the strength of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. ure Nintendo’s competitors aren’t producing many exclusives right now due to respective console cycles coming to a close, though it’s still eye-catching just how well the Japanese game maker is doing in the States as both a hardware maker and publishing partner.

One notable absence for July is Wolfenstein: Youngblood, though Bethesda Softworks does not share digital split. And it’s a less expensive title than competitors, which means it naturally generated less dollar sales. I anticipated this would happen, though there still was a slight chance it could slip into the Top 20. Bethesda still has DOOM Eternal upcoming in November as its flagship autumn title.

It only makes, hm.. cents to chat about the overall market now after hitting on individual names.

Spending in the U.S. during July actually increased slightly since this time last year, to $762 million. Though under 1%, so essentially flat. Which I’d argue is a mild surprise, due to the major slowdown in hardware sales off 22% and accessories/controllers dipping 12%. Consumer spending on software made up the difference, accelerating 34%. Though the caveat I’d offer is Madden did move up to the July time frame compared to debuting during the August sales period in 2018.

Nintendo Switch was once again the leading console by dollar sales generated, a spot which it’s held consecutively on a monthly basis since the holiday season. It’s the only piece of hardware to see gains since this time last year, as its competitors declined due to long-in-the-tooth cycles. Same as June, it’s also the #1 seller for 2019 to date.

This portion is the most predictable of all, as Switch continues to churn out major releases on a then legacy titles show solid momentum due to them appealing to a variety of audience slices especially the younger demographic. With a new model boasting improved battery life now hitting shelves and its Switch Lite iteration shipping in September, I can’t see a case where it isn’t the leading seller every month for the foreseeable future.

Quick update on software this year so far. Mortal Kombat 11 continues its dominance atop the chart, making it yet again the best-selling game of 2019. In fact, it’s now behind only Mortal Kombat X (2015) within the franchise overall for lifetime domestic sales. Another impressive stat is that MK11 now occupies the 5th spot on the fighting game genre all-time chart. NetherRealm Studio’s hit likely won’t retain the top spot once next month rolls around, though its legs since April release means it has been on quite a.. hm, run. I anticipate it will remain in the Top 6 through year-end.

Taking the year-to-date chart as a whole, it’s very similar to June. The exceptions being Red Dead Redemption 2 moving up to #7 and Madden NFL 20 slotting in at the 8th spot. These moves pushed Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice out of the Top 10, though From Software’s latest game is still doing extremely well with its 3.8 million units sold globally since February.

Now then. Let’s look at the full multi-platform list itself then the year’s best sellers, before our final whistle.

Top-Selling Games of July 2019 (Physical & Digital Dollar Sales):

  1. Madden NFL 20^
  2. Fire Emblem: Three Houses*
  3. Super Mario Maker 2*
  4. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order*
  5. Minecraft#
  6. Grand Theft Auto V
  7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
  8. Mortal Kombat 11
  9. Mario Kart 8*
  10. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
  11. Marvel’s Spider-Man
  12. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Siege
  13. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII^
  14. Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled
  15. Red Dead Redemption 2
  16. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2^
  17. MLB 19 The Show
  18. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
  19. NBA 2K 19
  20. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

Top-Selling Games of 2019 (Year to Date):

  1. Mortal Kombat 11
  2. Kingdom Hearts 3
  3. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2^
  4. Anthem^
  5. Resident Evil 2 Remake
  6. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
  7. Red Dead Redemption 2
  8. Madden NFL 20^
  9. Days Gone
  10. MLB The Show 19

^Digital PC Sales Not Included, *Digital Sales Not Included, #Digital Sales on Consoles Included

If you are interested in individual platform results, I highly recommend perusing NPD Group analyst Mat Piscatella’s Twitter thread and corresponding video coverage. It’s one of the main sources here, plus the never-ending knowledge of yours truly. Humble, I know.

Though in all seriousness thanks for stopping by to look at the charts and hear some context surrounding the month’s results. I’ll be back soon with more reviews and sales talk, it will pick up the pace from here!

Sources: The NPD Group, GamesPress, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

-Dom