With Pandemic Lockdowns, Video Games See 52% Rise In May Revs
All video game-related revenues — software and hardware — posted the best May results in more than a decade, with the stay-at-home lockdown remaining a big factor in the sector's rise in the second quarter.
The NPD Group says May witnessed a 52% rise to $977 million -- from all the hardware, physical games, downloaded full games (from a panel of 14 major publishers), and video-game accessories.
So far this year, season-to-date revenues are 18% higher to $5.5 billion.
Those year-to-date results, says the consumer research company, are the highest revenue in eight years. In 2011, it was $5.7 billion over the same time period.
In May, software game sales jumped 67% to $438 million, while hardware sales from gaming platforms was 56% higher to $235 million. Accessories and game cards revenue rose 32% to $304 million.
Bestselling games in May were: “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” “Grand Theft Auto V,” “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” “NBA 2K20,” “Mortal Kombat 11,” “Red Dead Redemption II,” “Minecraft,” “Final Fantasy VII: Remake,” “Assassin's Creed:Odyssey” and “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.”
The May results were down from April’s 73% rise -- the first full month of stay-at-home state lockdowns -- which totaled $1.5 billion.
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