Video game spending is up across the board in the U.S. in July. Nintendo drove both software and hardware sales, which grew 19 percent year-over-year to reach $588 million, according to the industry-tracking firm The NPD Group.
Consumers spent $277 million on software last month, thanks in particular to the launch of Nintendo’s Splatoon 2 and Activision’s Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy. The Nintendo Switch and Sony’s PlayStation 4 led the charge in hardware sales, which grew 29 percent to $182 million as compared to July 2016.
Here are the numbers for July 2017:
- Total: $588 million (up 19 percent from $496 million in July 2016)
- Hardware: $182 million (up 29 percent from $142 million)
- Console software: $263 million (up 17 percent from $224 million)
- PC software: $14 million (up 14 percent from $12 million)
- Accessories: $129 million (up 9 percent from $118 million)
“Total video game spending in July 2017, which includes hardware, software and accessories, grew 19 percent versus year ago to $588m. Growth was seen across all categories of spending,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. “The launch of Splatoon 2 on the Nintendo Switch, and month 2 sales of Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy drove software gains, while new supply of Nintendo Switch and continued strength of PlayStation 4 pushed hardware higher.”
The NPD report doesn’t cover total market spend, as it is missing certain data (such as digital sales from Blizzard’s store on its Battle.net service). It is more of a snapshot of the market as a whole, using data from participating publishers and platforms. Certain marked games only include physical sales.
Software
Overall
- Splatoon 2*
- Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
- Injustice 2
- Mario Kart 8*
- Overwatch**
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
- NBA 2K17
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III
- Minecraft
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
- MLB 17: The Show
- ARMS*
- Battlefield 1
- Mass Effect: Andromeda
- Tekken 7
* No digital sales
** No Battle.net sales
Nintendo was the big winner last month, with Splatoon 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Mario Kart 8 all in the top 10. Splatoon 2 was a highly anticipated sequel and a Nintendo Switch exclusive.
“Nintendo’s Splatoon 2 was the best-selling title of the month,” said Piscatella. “Three of the month’s top seven best-selling games are published by Nintendo. Nintendo was also the best-selling software publisher in July.”
In June, Tekken 7 and Injustice 2 fought their way to the top of charts. Since then, Tekken 7 has cratered from its No. 1 position to No. 20. Injustice 2 is still in the top 10, possibly bolstered by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s commitment to live operations and the Eleague Injustice 2 World Championship coming up later this year.
Though Horizon Zero Dawn has slipped off the overall charts, Piscatella says that it contributed to a resurgence of role-playing games. Along with titles like Nier: Automata, Persona 5, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, the RPG year-to-date sales have grown over 50 percent year-over-year.
Xbox One
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Injustice 2
- Overwatch**
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
- Minecraft
- Forza Horizon 3
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III
- NBA 2K17
PlayStation 4
- Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
- Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Injustice 2
- MLB 17: The Show
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Overwatch**
- NBA 2K17
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Nintendo Switch
- Splatoon 2*
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
- Mario Kart 8*
- ARMS*
- 1-2 Switch*
- Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers*
- Lego City Undercover*
- Cars 3: Driven to Win*
- Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star*
- Just Dance 2017*
Nintendo 3DS
- Pokemon: Sun*
- Miitopia*
- Super Smash Bros.*
- Pokemon: Moon*
- Super Mario Maker*
- Hey! Pikmin*
- Mario Kart 7*
- Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadow of Valentia*
- Ever Oasis*
- Mario Sports Superstars*
The best-selling games of 2017 so far
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
- For Honor
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Injustice 2
- Mass Effect: Andromeda
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- NBA 2K17
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
The best-selling games over the last 12 months
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
- Battlefield 1
- NBA 2K17
- Madden NFL 17
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
- FIFA 17
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
- Final Fantasy XV
- For Honor
Hardware & accessories
The Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 made up the bulk of hardware sales in July. Splatoon 2 was a big reason for the Switch’s continued success last month.
“Year to date, hardware spending has grown 20 percent versus 2016 to $1.6 billion. Performance of the Nintendo Switch continues to be the primary cause of the year-on-year gains,” said Piscatella. “Sony’s PlayStation 4 is the best-selling hardware platform year to date.”
While accessories were down in June, the sector grew 9 percent in July. Gamepads likely drove this, since Interactive Game Toys are still down.
“Accessories for the Nintendo Switch and Microsoft’s Xbox One drove spending growth. Gamepads were the top-selling accessory types for both platforms,” said Piscatella. “Declines in the Interactive Gaming Toys (IGT) segment lessened in July. The IGT segment was down only 15 percent in dollar sales compared to July 2016.”
The PC Gaming channel is presented by Intel®‘s Game Dev program.
x
Thanks for your interest in the PC Gaming channel
Select the products you would like to subscribe to:
Country required
*By checking this box, you are confirming you are an adult 18 years or older and you agree to Intel contacting you with marketing-related emails or by telephone. You may unsubscribe at any time. Intel’s web sites and communications are subject to our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use.
Source: July 2017 NPD: Splatoon 2 paints a pretty picture for Nintendo
