In the last month of 2019, digital game sales rose to a record $9.8 billion. This was reported by the analytical firm SuperData.
In annual terms, turnover rose by 8%. Even fewer high-profile releases compared to the 2018 holiday season did not prevent it from growing.
However, due to the negative dynamics of releases, the console segment sank. Spending on console games in the figure fell by a quarter at once. This is partly also due to Fortnite. Monthly revenue of the “battle royale” decreased in comparison with the record-breaking December 2018.
The PC segment also declined, but only by 4%. But the growth of mobile spending by 28% at once compensated for the drop in the console and desktop segments. In general, the mobile games market remained in the black for almost the whole of 2019, and the dynamics of spending on PC and console titles was negative.
SuperData also notes the success of individual games:
1) For Clash of Clans, December was the best month in seven years after the release. The title earned $158.2 million for the month due to the increase in MAU during the holiday period.
2) This December was a great month for GTA V. On PC and consoles, the game earned $84.7 million, which is its two-year record. The drivers of growth were not only holiday discounts, but also the release of the Diamond Casino Heist DLC.
3) In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, players spent $78.7 million in December. This is slightly less than Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII earned for the whole 4th quarter of 2018 ($92.9 million). In addition, the quarterly revenue of Modern Warfare exceeded the earnings of Black Ops IIII by 4% in the first three months after the release. Although Modern Warfare was monetized only through combat passes and an in-game store and did not have, for example, a seasonal pass.
4) Also mention the good start of Red Dead Redemption 2 on Steam. The release on this site spurred the total sales of the game in numbers: in a month they grew to 1 million copies (more than doubled). Recall that in the Valve store, the title was released on December 5, a month after the release in the Epic Games Store and Rockstar‘s own launcher.
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