NPD Group: NBA 2K20, Borderlands 3 and FIFA 20 dominated September

Consumer spending on video games in the United States continued to decline in September, according to NPD Group. But fans of NBA 2K20 do not care - the basketball simulator immediately confidently came out on top in sales for the year.

“September 2019 spending on consoles, software, accessories and game cards was $1,278 billion, down 8% from a year ago,” said NPD analyst Mat Piscatella. “There was a decline across all categories.”

Deteriorating console sales are the biggest reason for the drop in numbers.    

“Annual spending on tracked consoles, software, accessories and game cards fell 6% from 2018 to $8,3 billion,” Piscatella said. “The decrease in console costs led to a drop in performance.”

Unlike August, there were several major releases in September. Take-Two Interactive has released the aforementioned NBA 2K20 and Borderlands 3. But September also saw the debut of FIFA 20, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Gears 5, Code Vein and NHL 20. Even tactical online shooter Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, which was released on October 4, is in the NPD Group's September tracking window, which ends on October 5.

"Dollar video game sales were down 4% in September year-over-year to $732 million," Piscatella said. “Growth in sales of Switch and Xbox One software has not been able to offset the decline on PlayStation 4.” Nevertheless, it is worth recalling that in September 2018, the PlayStation 4 was released Marvel's Spider-Man, which is successfully sold to this day.

In fact, year-on-year video game sales are about the same as last year. But now buyers are increasingly looking towards the Nintendo Switch instead of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

“To date, video game sales are $3,9 billion in dollar sales,” Piscatella said. “Growth in sales of Nintendo Switch games was offset by declines on all other platforms.”

The NPD Group tracks physical retail sales as well as digital data directly from publishers. But not every company participates. For example, Nintendo does not share sales of its games, and Activision Blizzard does not provide data from Battle.net.

Sports simulation NBA 2K20 debuted in September and has already risen to the top of the chart. “NBA 2K20 debuted as the best-selling game of September 2019 and instantly became the best-selling game of 2019,” said Piscatella. "NBA 2K20's launch month sales were the highest for any sports game in history, surpassing the previous record holder, NBA 2K19."

RPG shooter Borderlands 3 from Gearbox Software also had an impressive debut. “Borderlands 3 set a new franchise record for launch month sales by debuting as the second best-selling game of September,” Piscatella said. "Borderlands 3 is currently the third best-selling game of the year."

Gears 5's #7 debut may seem disappointing at first glance, but it's important to remember that the shooter is also available with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Anyone can get a game on the service for as little as $10 a month — and Microsoft has had several promotions to lower the cost of the service for new users.

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

1. NBA 2K20;
2. Borderlands 3;
3. FIFA 20;
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening*;
5. Madden NFL 20;
6. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint;
7. Gears 5**;
8. Code Vein;
9. NHL 20;
10. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe;
11. Minecraft***;
12. Grand Theft Auto V;
13. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*;
14. Spyro Reignited Trilogy;
15. Red Dead Redemption 2;
16. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege;
17. Plants vs Zombies: Battle For Neighborville;
18. Marvel's Spider-Man;
19. Catherine: Full Body;
20. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*.

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

1. NBA 2K20;
2. Mortal Kombat 11;
3. Borderlands 3;
4. Madden NFL 20;
5. Kingdom Hearts III;
6. Tom Clancy's The Division 2;
7. Anthem;
8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*;
9. Resident Evil 2;
10. Grand Theft Auto V

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. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*;
4. NBA 2K20;
5. Mortal Kombat 11;
6. Borderlands 3;
7. Madden NFL 20;
8. NBA 2K19;
9. Battlefield V;
10. Kingdom Hearts III.

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

1. Borderlands 3;
2. NBA 2K20;
3. Gears 5;
4. FIFA 20;
5. Madden NFL 20;
6. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint;
7. NHL 20;
8. Plants vs Zombies: Battle For Neighborville;
9. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands;
10. Grand Theft Auto V

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

1. NBA 2K20;
2. Borderlands 3;
3. FIFA 20;
4. Madden NFL 20;
5. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint;
6. NHL 20;
7. Code Vein;
8. Marvel's Spider-Man;
9. Catherine: Full Body;
10. Minecraft.

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

1. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening*;
2. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*;
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*;
4. Spyro Reignited Trilogy;
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*;
6. Super Mario Maker 2*;
7. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age*;
8. Astral Chain*;
9. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*;
10. Super Mario Party*.

*Digital sales not included.
**Steam sales not included.
***Digital sales include Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions.

Source: 3dnews.ru