NPD Group: In May, Nintendo Switch is back on the console throne, and Mortal Kombat 11 made a revolution

The analytical company NPD Group has published a report on sales of video games, accessories and consoles in the United States for May 2019.

In May 2019, US residents spent $641 million on gaming products (excluding consoles). Compared to the same period in 2018, numbers are down as the industry continues to shrink with the end of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 generations. “[Spending was] 11 percent lower than a year ago,” said NPD Group analyst Mat Piscatella. ). — Reducing the cost of software and hardware has affected the overall results. Annual spending on tracked video game devices, software, accessories and game cards was down 3 percent from 2018 to $4,7 billion.”

But at Nintendo, the generation began only two and a half years ago. Switch sales are constantly growing. In May, the console outperformed its competitors both in the number of systems sold and in dollar terms. “Appliance spending in May 2019 fell 20% year-over-year to $149 million,” Piscatella said. “The rise in Nintendo Switch sales has been offset by the decline in all other hardware platforms.” Last month, console sales were $1,1 billion, down 17% from the same period in 2018.

Revenues from accessories and game cards continue to grow in line with the success of shareware games with micropayments and competitive projects that encourage users to buy headsets and new gamepads. “In May 2019, spending on accessories and game cards was the same as last year at $230 million,” Piscatella said. "YoY, sales of accessories and game cards grew 3 percent to $1,4 billion." The top-selling accessory of the month was the plain black DualShock 4 controller for the PlayStation 4. It is also the top-selling accessory throughout 2019.

May 2019 was a busy month due in large part to the lack of new releases. The two best-selling games were the April premieres. Console and PC video game sales reached $262 million in dollar terms, down 13% from last year. May of this year also turned out to be the worst in terms of software implementation since 2013. And overall new release sales in dollar terms are the lowest since May 1998.

But on an annualized basis, it's not all that bad. Game sales rose 2% to $2,2 billion. Nintendo Switch encourages players to buy more releases, but is unlikely to save the day in 2019 - given that there are no projects in the autumn that can compare with Red Dead Redemption 2 by sales.

Meanwhile Mortal Kombat 11 takes on new heights. Fighting again became the best-selling game of the month, and is now also the best-selling game of 2019 - Kingdom Hearts III gave way to an opponent. In the 2 months since its release, Mortal Kombat 11 has almost doubled the score of any other installment in the series in the entire history of the franchise. The project became the best-selling on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Days Gone became the second best-selling game in May. It holds its own and is now the eighth best-selling game in 2019. Minecraft used to be at the top of the charts for years. She recently celebrated her 10th anniversary and returned to the list of ten bestsellers of the month. It also ranked seventh on the list of best-selling Xbox One games in May.

It's worth noting that RAGE 2 came out on May 14th, but Bethesda Softworks doesn't share digital sales with the NPD Group. Without these data, the game was in fourth place. Similar Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was in sixth place, considering only sales of physical copies.

Top-selling games in May 2019 in the US (in dollar terms):

1. Mortal Kombat 11;
2. Days Gone;
3. Total War: Three Kingdoms;
4. RANGE 2*;
5. Grand Theft Auto V;
6. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*;
7. Red Dead Redemption 2;
8. MLB 19: The Show;
9. Minecraft**;
10. NBA 2K19.

Top-selling games in 2019 in the US (in dollar terms):

1. Mortal Kombat 11;
2. Kingdom Hearts III;
3. Tom Clancy's The Division 2;
4. Anthem;
5. Resident Evil 2;
6. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate;
7. Red Dead Redemption 2;
8. Days Gone;
9. MLB 19: The Show;
10. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Top-selling games in the last 12 months in the United States (in dollar terms):

1. Red Dead Redemption 2;
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4**;
3. NBA 2K19;
4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*;
5. Madden NFL 19**;
6. Marvel's Spider-Man;
7. Assassin's Creed Odyssey;
8. Mortal Kombat 11;
9. FIFA 19**;
10. Kingdom Hearts III.

Top-selling Xbox One games in May 2019 in the US (in US dollars):

1. Mortal Kombat 11;
2. RAGE2*;
3. Red Dead Redemption 2;
4. Tom Clancy's The Division 2;
5. Grand Theft Auto V;
6. NBA 2K19;
7. Minecraft
8. Forza Horizon 4;
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4;
10. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege.

Top-selling PlayStation 4 games in May 2019 in the US (in dollar terms):

1. Mortal Kombat 11;
2. Days Gone;
3. MLB 19: The Show;
4. RAGE2*;
5. Grand Theft Auto V;
6. Marvel's Spider-Man;
7. Red Dead Redemption 2;
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4;
9. NBA 2K19;
10. Tom Clancy's The Division 2.

Top-selling Nintendo Switch games in May 2019 in the US (in US dollars):

1. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*;
2. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe*;
3. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*;
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*;
5. Mortal Kombat 11;
6. Yoshi's Crafted World*;
7. Super Mario Party*;
8. Super Mario Odyssey*;
9. Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu*;
10. Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee*.

*Digital sales not included.  
**Digital PC sales not included.

Source: 3dnews.ru