Depending on where you live, the world might be opening back up a little bit (to varying degrees of safety and success), but gamers seem to be doing just fine with their increased time at home. From jumping into the Battle Royale in Fortnite to caring for adorable creatures in Animal Crossing, kids and families are spending more time — and money — than ever on video games.
According to The NPD Group, tracked spending for the video game industry in April hit $1.5 billion, a whopping 73% increase compared to a year ago. That’s a new record high for an April month, beating a $1.2 billion spend back in 2008. The numbers reflect spending across video game hardware, software, accessories, and game cards. Year-to-date spending is up 12% at $4.5 billion.
Notably, sales of video game software increased 55% over last year, also besting the previous record from April 2008. Hardware sales, which should be declining on the cusp of a new console generation, rose 163% as more people got into gaming. Similarly, sales of controllers and headsets shattered records. Year-to-date dollar sales of Nintendo Switch are the highest of any hardware platform in U.S. history, and combined sales of Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch saw a 160% gain over last April.
BIG FRANCHISES DOMINATE TOP GAMES
Fall is typically the season for Activision’s Call of Duty, but with more than 60 million players enjoying the Warzone extension, two titles from the franchise cracked the top 10 last month. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) held the No. 2 spot and remains the best-selling game of this year and of the past 12 months. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Remastered (an updated version of the 2009 sequel to the original Modern Warfare) finished at No. 7. Additionally, 2015’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III hit No. 8 in the Xbox One charts.
Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons charted at No. 3, as Final Fantasy VII: Remake blasted to the top of the chart to become the best-selling game of April, the best-selling game of 2020 on PlayStation 4, and the No. 3 best-selling game overall this year.
Finally, as more families challenge each other, Just Dance 2020 continues to climb the charts, up to No. 11 from No. 17 in March. The game is the fastest-selling title in the franchise since Just Dance 2014.
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