The summer slump in gaming is not an illusion, but real. According to US market researchers, August 2019 was the weakest August since 1998 regarding the sales of computer games on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch: There were simply no new good games. Oldies like GTA 5 or Minecraft lead the charts.
Here are the numbers: The US market research institute NPD Group has released the numbers for August 2019 in the USA: It pertains to the money that is made with gaming.
The numbers were not good in August 2019. Compared to the previous year, sales fell by 18% concerning games, hardware, and accessories.
Especially the sale of video games has dropped sharply. There is a 24% decrease compared to August 2018.
Analyst Mat Piscatella explains the trends via Twitter video (via Twitter) and releases some charts.
Only Madden NFL 20 comes as a “new” game to the charts
Which games were successful in August? The top 3 sold games for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch in the USA are:
- Madden NFL 20 at #1
- Minecraft at #2
- Grand Theft Auto 5 at #3
We have already observed this trend in the last months at the PS Store: There were hardly any current titles in the sales charts.
With the sales of games that were monitored by market researchers, only 257 million US dollars could be earned in August.
This is the lowest software sales in an August since 1998. Back then, only 234 million dollars were earned..
How is 2019 going so far? Over the entire year, 2019 is slightly stronger than 2018, by 1%. Especially the Nintendo Switch seems to be helping here.
The top games from 2019 include:
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Kingdom Hearts III
- Madden NFL 20
- Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
- and Anthem at #5
What’s behind it: The numbers confirm what many players have felt in recent months: It was a long, dry gaming summer in 2019.
The online games are also feeling this: After 2019 started promisingly with Anthem, The Division 2, and Apex Legends, and there was much to do in February and March, it has been significantly quieter from May until mid-August.
The games that started in August, such as WoW Classic or Remnant: From the Ashes, are not reflected significantly in the sales figures of the NPD Group.
This will probably change in September with Borderlands 3.
Borderlands 3 is considered one of three “sure hits,” identified by market researchers for 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
2019 is viewed by the video game industry as a “transition year.” Because in 2020 the new consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett are expected – therefore, some studios are likely producing their big hits already for the new console generation.
What to consider: The numbers from NPD Group pertain to “sales of full games,” hardware or game cards – “microtransactions” are not included.
Some publishers are also missing, which do not report sales figures through their digital stores to the NPD Group, like Nintendo or Activision Blizzard with Battle.net.
Some publishers are also missing, which do not report sales figures through their digital stores to the NPD Group, like Nintendo or Activision Blizzard with Battle.net.
