Did retro gaming just take a bite out of modern games? Or is current generation console fatigue at its peak?
This May’s $262 million in gaming software sales was a 13% decrease from the same period last year, and the lowest sales in May since 2013 ($222 million). According to the NPD Group‘s May video game sales report, the dismal month overall was further marred by the lowest total sales dollars in new release video games in a May month since 1998. With just a week on the charts, Sega’s Total War: Three Kingdoms (pictured top) was able to secure the No. 3 spot on this month’s top 20, with Bethesda Softworks’ Rage 2 the only other new release to crack the top five, at No. 4. Mortal Kombat 11 held onto the top spot for a second consecutive month, with the latest entry in Warner Bros.’ long-running fighting franchise dethroning Kingdom Hearts III as the best-selling video game so far this year.
Overall, sales for the entire category, including hardware, software, and accessories, were down 11% from last year, with $641 million versus $717 million.
TOP 20 VIDEO GAME TITLES | MAY 2019 (ALL PLATFORMS)
- Mortal Kombat 11 | Warner Bros. Interactive
- Days Gone | Sony
- Total War: Three Kingdoms | Sega
- Rage 2 | Bethesda Softworks
- Grand Theft Auto V | Take 2 Interactive
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Nintendo
- Red Dead Redemption II | Take 2 Interactive
- MLB 19: The Show | Sony
- Minecraft | Multi
- NBA 2K19 | Take 2 Interactive
- Mario Kart 8 | Nintendo
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 | Ubisoft
- Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII | Activision Blizzard
- Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | Nintendo
- Marvel’s Spider-Man | Sony
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Nintendo
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege | Ubisoft
- Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey | Ubisoft
- Team Sonic Racing | Sega
- Yoshi’s Crafted World | Nintendo
Year-over-year overall sales for video games dropped another full percentage point, down 2% year-to-date with a 17% drop in hardware sales offsetting modest gains in software (2%) and accessories (3%).
Still, there’s a lot to look forward to this year, even if that means looking toward the past. The SEGA Genesis Mini hits the streets in September, with new cabs from Arcade1Up and AtGames in the pipeline. Of course, there was a ton of news from the floor of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this month, all of which should provide some tantalizing options for future gaming enjoyment.
Photo: Sega