Video Games sales in U.S. (retail & digital) - October 2017
Analysis from NPD's VG industry analyst, Mat Piscatella
Total video game spending in October 2017, which includes hardware, software and accessories, fell 11 percent versus year ago to $825 million. Gains in hardware spending were offset by declines in Software and Accessories.
NPD Group's U.S. Games Industry Sales - October 2017
4-week month ; Reporting Period 10/1/17 through 10/28/17
| Dollar Sales | Oct'16 | Oct'17 | Chg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Video Game Sales | $932m | $825m | -11% |
| Video Games Hardware | $216m | $238m | 10% |
| *Video Games Software (Console and Portable ; Physical and Full Game Digital Formats from PlayStation and Xbox platforms) | $556m | $447m | -20% |
| *PC Games Software (PC ; Physical and Full Game Digital Formats from the Steam platform) | $38m | $27m | -29% |
| Video Games Accessories | $122m | $113m | -7% |
Software
Dollar sales of Console, Portable and PC Games Software combined to reach $474 million in October 2017, down 20 percent versus a year ago, due to a difficult October 2016 comparable which featured the launch of Battlefield 1. Year to date, consumer spending is up 3 percent to $4.2 billion.
Middle Earth : Shadow of War was October's best-selling game overall, while also taking the top spot on both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms. Sales grew over 20 percent when compared to the launch month of the previous release in the franchise, Middle Earth : Shadow of Mordor, which debuted in September 2014.
Super Mario Odyssey debuted at #3 on the all platforms chart, while taking the top spot for Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Odyssey drove the third highest launch month packaged software sales for a Mario Action/Adventure title in tracked history, following only New Super Mario Bros Wii and Super Mario Galaxy.
October sales of Racing games more than doubled when compared to a year ago. So far in 2017, Racing game sales are up 37 percent. Role Playing Games also continued to show 2017 strength, with October sales growing more than 20 percent. Year to date, sales of RPGs are up 43 percent.
Destiny 2 is now the second best-selling game of the 12 month period ending October 2017, surpassing Battlefield 1, which fell to third. Destiny 2 is the year's best-selling game to date.
After 2 months in market, NBA 2K18 becomes the best-selling sports game for the 12 month period ending October 2017. NBA 2K18 remains the best-selling sports game year to date and is now the second best-selling game of the year overall.
Mario Kart 8 joins the top 10 best sellers of 2017 in October, replacing Mass Effect : Andromeda at #10. Mario Kart 8 finished October at #16 overall for the month, and #3 on Nintendo Switch.
Ubisoft was the best-selling publisher of October 2017. Activison Blizzard remains the top selling publisher year to date.
October 2017 Top 20 Games (Physical and Full Game Digital for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel) ranked on dollar sales
| Title | Rank | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Middle Earth : Shadow of War | 1 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| Assassin's Creed : Origins | 2 | Ubisoft |
| Super Mario Odyssey** | 3 | Nintendo |
| South Park : The Fractured But Whole | 4 | Ubisoft |
| NBA 2K18 | 5 | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| FIFA 18 | 6 | Electronic Arts |
| WWE 2K18 | 7 | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| Madden NFL 18 | 8 | Electronic Arts |
| Destiny 2^ | 9 | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| Forza Motorsport 7 | 10 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| Gran Turismo Sport | 11 | Sony (Corp) |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 12 | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| The Evil Within 2** | 13 | Bethesda Softworks |
| Wolfenstein 2 : The New Colossus** | 14 | Bethesda Softworks |
| The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild** | 15 | Nintendo |
| Mario Kart 8** | 16 | Nintendo |
| Fire Emblem : Warriors** | 17 | Nintendo |
| Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon : Wildlands | 18 | Ubisoft |
| NHL 18 | 19 | Electronic Arts |
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six : Siege | 20 | Ubisoft |
Hardware
Hardware spending in October 2017 grew 10 percent versus year ago to $238 million. Spending growth was once again driven by Nintendo Switch and the SNES Classic.
The Nintendo Switch was the best-selling hardware platform of the month, while Sony's PlayStation 4 remains the best-selling hardware platform year to date.
Year to date, hardware spending has grown 19 percent versus 2016 to $2.3 billion. Consumer spending on Nintendo Switch, Plug N Play devices such as the SNES Classic and the PlayStation 4 continue to provide growth.
Accessories
Total spend on Accessories and Gamecards fell 7 percent in October compared to a year ago, to $113 million.
Spending on Steering Wheels more than doubled when compared to a year ago driven by new releases Forza Motorsport 7 and Gran Turismo Sport.
The PS4 DualShock 4 Wireless Controller Black was the best-selling accessory of October, and is now the best-selling accessory year to date.
The Gold Wireless Stereo Headset from Sony is the best-selling Headset year to date for the PlayStaion 4, while Turtle Beach's Ear Force Recon 50X Gaming Headset is the best-selling Headset year to date for the Xbox One.