Total War: Three Kingdoms

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)

  1. Mortal Kombat 11 | Warner Bros. Interactive
  2. Days Gone | Sony
  3. Total War: Three Kingdoms | Sega
  4. Rage 2 | Bethesda Softworks
  5. Grand Theft Auto V | Take 2 Interactive
  6. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Nintendo
  7. Red Dead Redemption II | Take 2 Interactive
  8. MLB 19: The Show | Sony
  9. Minecraft | Multi
  10. NBA 2K19 | Take 2 Interactive
  11. Mario Kart 8 | Nintendo
  12. Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 | Ubisoft
  13. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII | Activision Blizzard
  14. Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe | Nintendo
  15. Marvel’s Spider-Man | Sony
  16. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Nintendo
  17. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege | Ubisoft
  18. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey | Ubisoft
  19. Team Sonic Racing | Sega
  20. 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

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

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