The analytical company NPD Group has prepared a report on the state of the US gaming market in March this year. According to experts, the shooter Far Cry 5 debuted so successfully that it became the best-selling game in America not only in March, but also over the past three months.
The second place in the March sales ranking was taken by the cooperative pirate action movie Sea of Thieves from Microsoft and Rare. NPD Group noted that Sea of Thieves became the best-selling game of Rare studio for 23 years of observations.
Results of March 2018
The US video game industry in March 2018 decreased slightly compared to the same period last year.
- the turnover of the gaming market is $1.32 billion (-11% compared to last year);
- video game sales – $613 million (-10%);
- sales of consoles and gaming equipment – $331 million (-32%);
- sales of gaming accessories – $372 million (+20%).
According to NPD Group analyst Matt Piscatella, the decline is due to fewer large game releases in March this year.
Recall that in March 2017, such games as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands were released. In addition, in March last year, Nintendo released the Nintendo Switch hybrid console, which immediately gained huge popularity.
Results of the 1st quarter of 2018
But if we compare the first quarter of this year with the past, the picture will be completely different.
The US gaming market in the 1st quarter of 2018:
- gaming market turnover – $3.14 billion (+15%);
- video game sales – $1.53 billion (+8%);
- sales of consoles and gaming equipment – $925 million (+13%);
- sales of gaming accessories – $956 (+29%).
The NPD Group noted a steady rise in sales of gaming accessories, mainly headsets and microphones. The company explained this trend with the great popularity of multiplayer titles.
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