Video Games retail / e-tail sales in U.S. June 2015
With sales increases across hardware, new physical software, and accessories for June 2015 compared to June 2014, overall sales rose by 18 percent.
NPD Group's U.S. Games Industry Sales (New Physical Sales Channel*) - June 2015
5-week month; Reporting Period 05/31/15 through 07/04/15
| Dollar Sales | June'14 | June'15 | CHG |
|---|---|---|---|
Total Video Game Sales (New Physical Channel) | $734.7M | $869.4M | 18% |
Video Games Hardware | $291.1M | $313.1M | 8% |
Video Games Software (Console+Portable - New Physical Sales only) | $286.5M | $345.5M | 21% |
Video Games Accessories | $157.2M | $210.7M | 34% |
Total Software Sales - (Console+Portable+PC - New Physical Sales Only) | $297.8M | $354.1M | 19% |
Software
Due to the strong launch lineup and favorable comps to last year, new physical software rose 19 percent over June 2014. This is the fourth month of year-over-year increases so far in 2015; through the first half of the year, software is up 3 percent. With a strong lineup of games for the remainder of the year, there is the potential for a positive growth in the second half of the year as well.
Batman: Arkham Knight was the number one game for June 2015, and with just 12 days of sales was also the second highest-selling launch so far in 2015 after Mortal Kombat X. Sales of Arkham Knight slightly exceeded October 2011 sales of Batman: Arkham Knight (remarkable considering the difference in hardware install bases) and if sales were included from hardware bundles, Arkham Knight is the best-selling launch of 2015 so far.
A major factor for the rise in overall software sales was the success of June launches, which collectively rose close to 300 percent in dollar sales compared to June 2014 launches. This more than made up for the fact that there was a slide in the performance of May launches in June compared to last year, which is somewhat expected given the comparison to hits like Mario Kart and Watch Dogs from May 2014.
PS4 Batman: Arkham Knight had the highest sales for a single SKU across any Batman game since NPD has been tracking the industry.
With hits like Batman: Arkham Knight, The Witcher 3, Mortal Kombat X, and Dying Light, Warner Bros. Interactive is the top Corporate Publisher so far in 2015, with dollar sales growing 217 percent versus the first half of 2014.
| June 2015 Top 10 Games (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC) | Rank | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4, XBO, PC)** | 1 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited (XBO, PS4, PC)** | 2 | Bethesda Softworks |
| LEGO: Jurassic World (360, XBO, PS4, PS3, 3DS, NWU, PSV) | 3 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4, XBO, PC)** | 4 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| Splatoon (NWU) | 5 | Nintendo |
| Minecraft (360, PS3, XBO, PS4) | 6 | Microsoft (Corp) / Sony (Corp) |
| Grand Theft Auto V (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC) | 7 | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| Mortal Kombat X (PS4, XBO)** | 8 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| NBA 2K15 (360, PS4, XBO, PS3, PC) | 9 | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)** | 10 | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
Hardware
Hardware sales grew by 8 percent overall. Eighth-generation consoles are leading the way with 15 percent growth over June 2014, offsetting declines in seventh-generation and portable hardware sales.
Hardware bundles gained share of overall hardware sales with 35 percent of sales in June 2014 rising to 82 percent of sales in June 2015. June 2015 was especially strong for hardware bundle sales as the 82 percent share of hardware attributed to bundles in June 2015 is above the YTD total of 67 percent share.
Accessories
June 2015 accessory sales rose as video game point/subscription cards, gamepads, headsets/headphones, and interactive gaming toys all increased over June 2014. Video game point/subscription cards was the highest-selling accessory type and had the largest volumetric growth, totaling $31 million.
Interactive gaming toys continue to sell well, up 44 percent over June 2014. Year-to-date sales are also positive, increasing by 23 percent.
June 2015 marked the best June ever for Video game points and subscription cards for both dollars and unit sales.