Total consumer spending on video games in the U.S. increased 24% to $9.1 billion in the third fiscal quarter of 2018 (July-September), according to research company The NPD Group.
Video game content sales increased 25% to $7.9 billion, the company said. That includes full games, DLC, microtransactions, subscriptions, and mobile. Mobile games and digital content for console and portable platforms experienced the most growth.
The titles that had the most positive impact on dollar sales in the first half of the year include (in alphabetical order) “Candy Crush Saga,” “Fortnite,” “Madden NFL 19,” “Marvel’s Spider-Man,” and “NBA 2K19,” The NPD Group said.
Meanwhile, hardware sales rose 11% in the third quarter to $737 million thanks to strong performances from the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and mini consoles like the NES Classic and SNES Classic. Accessory sales (excluding game cards) grew 44% compared to the same period last year. Headset and game card sales set all-time records in dollar spending, NPD said. Game card sales rose 63%, surpassing accessories for the first time in the third quarter of a calendar year.
“The video game market in the U.S. continues to thrive with compelling gaming content expanding the market, driving higher spending of hardware, accessory and software,” said The NPD Group analyst Mat Piscatella. “And with the sales strength of recent releases such as ‘Marvel’s Spider-Man’ and ‘NBA 2K19,’ combined with cross-platform titles such as ‘Fortnite,’ there appears to be no slowing down as we head into the final stretch of the holiday shopping season.”
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