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Report: Video games boom to continue

November 17, 2020

By Chris Forrester

According to data from market measurement company NPD Group, total spending on video games increased by 14 per cent year-on-year in October, of which 12 per cent was for video game content, 22 per cent for video game accessories and 42 per cent for video game hardware.

A note from investment bank Exane/BNPP says that, as far as November is concerned, the upward sales trend is likely to accelerate materially vs October given the release of new Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, AC Valhalla and next generation consoles.

The bank’s note adds that momentum for video game content slightly accelerated at 12 per cent (vs 8 per cent in September) but remained below the summer trend (circa 35 per cent in July/August).

“This reflects some normalisation of players’ engagement but also tough comparison. October 2019 saw the release of various major games: Call of Duty Modern Warfare, The Outer Worlds, and Luigi’s Mansion 3. Given next generation console launcesh and the release of various major AAA games (CP 2077, COD Black Ops CW, AC Valhalla, WD Legion, Spider-man Morales), US consumer spending on video games is projected to grow 24 per cent y-o-y in November and December,” said the bank.


As to US sales data, NPD states:

  • US “Video game content” increased 12 per cent YoY (vs 8.5 per cent in September).
  • YTD video game content spending reached $33.2 billion (+19 per cent YoY).
  • Top best-selling games (in dollar terms, not volume) on all platforms include:

#1: FIFA 21 (Entertainment Arts)
#2: Madden NFL 21 (EA)
#3: Watch Dogs Legion (Ubisoft)
#4: NHL 21 (EA)
#5: Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Nintendo)

Categories: Articles, Equipment, Games, Markets, Research

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