Christmas is looming on the not-so-distant horizon, but for gamers, there just may be a Grinch in the mix. Have you tried to find a new console lately?
According to The NPD Group, the U.S. video game industry took a big hit last month, and the 10% overall decline was fueled by a massive 38% decline in hardware sales. Gamers can’t buy what they can’t find, and the general lack of available inventory of new console hardware, including the Sony Playstation 5, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S, and the Nintendo Switch OLED was felt from coast-to-coast as much-touted restocks were scooped up in minutes.
As usual, November was Call of Duty season as Activision’s Call of Duty: Vanguard blasted its way onto the scene to instantly become the best-selling game of the month and the second-best-selling game of the year behind last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. If there is any doubt as to why “Call of Duty season” is an unofficial moniker for the month, this marks the 14th consecutive year a Call of Duty game has topped the charts upon release.
While you probably won’t get a new console for Christmas, you could always enjoy some holiday cheer by enlisting in the latest battle taking place in Vanguard and Warzone. The limited-time Festive Fervor launches today on both multiplayer platforms!
TOP 10 CONSOLE VIDEO GAMES: NOVEMBER 2021
- Call of Duty: Vanguard (Activision Blizzard)
- Battlefield 2042 (Electronic Arts)
- Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl (Nintendo)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Microsoft)
- Madden NFL 22 (Electronic Arts)
- Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo)
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Square Enix)
- FIFA 22 (Electronic Arts)
- Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft)
- NBA 2K22 (Take-Two Interactive)
According to Sensor Tower, the top mobile games in terms of revenue were Candy Crush Saga, Coin Master, Roblox, Garena Free Fire, Genshin Impact, Pokémon GO, Call of Duty: Mobile, Clash Royale, Homescapes, and Bingo Blitz.
The hardware shortage also forced a hit in the accessories category with a 20% decline in November versus 2020.
Overall, NPD says that year-to-date spending across games, content, and hardware sits at $52.9 billion for the first 11 months of 2021, a 9% spike over last year. But, inventory shortages this month could wipe out gains as we head toward the final days of the year.
Could we interest you in something from the Video Games section of the Pop Insider‘s 2021 Holiday Gift Guide?
The NPD Group compiles its data using its monthly POS tracking services, as well as consumer data from its other trackers and reports. Sensor Tower contributes mobile spending data.
