NPD"s numbers for the month of February indicate a slowdown for the gaming industry even as For Honor took home the honor of being the top-selling game in the US with PS4 retaining its lead over other consoles.
The picture wasn"t rosy for the industry as its revenues fell almost $200 million to $724 million, down from $918 million for the same month last year. Console software and PC software plunged 14 and 26 percent, respectively, while accessories went down 21 percent to $150 million. Hardware, however, took the worst hit as it generated $202 million, falling 30 percent year-on-year.
NPD analyst Mat Piscatella commented:
“Console hardware accounted for 82 percent of the total declines as both average retail pricing and units sold fell versus year ago.”
The decline in the software sales was expected, as only a few big titles were released last month, including For Honor, Halo Wars 2, and Nioh. This is probably why older titles such as GTA V, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and NBA 2K17 managed to wind up in the top five.
The complete list is as follows:
- For Honor
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- Grand Theft Auto V
- NBA 2K17
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
- Madden NFL 17
- Battlefield 1
- Nioh*
- Overwatch**
*No digital sales
*No Battle.net digital sales
Halo Wars 2 was conspicuously absent from the list, being the only major exclusive title for Xbox last month, but it is important to note that these numbers do not include micro-transactions and can be variable due to lack of access to digital sales, as in the case of the 343 Industries game.
Hardware didn"t bring too many surprises either with PlayStation 4 retaining its lead in the US last month riding high on its exclusives such as Nioh. The 500GB PlayStation 4 Slim Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Bundle was the month’s top-selling console. With Horizon: Zero Dawn"s release late last month, it is expected to maintain its dominance.
Surprisingly, Nintendo saw a 77 percent increase in its hardware sales over the previous month thanks to the release of the new New 3DS devices- the 3DS New Galaxy Style model and the 3DS Limited Pikachu Yellow model. With the release of its newer console, The Switch, there might be some surprises in April"s numbers.
Source: Yahoo