Video Games retail / e-tail sales in U.S. August 2015
Overall, across new physical software, hardware, and accessories, sales declined 2 percent compared to August 2014. The increase in accessory sales of 12 percent was not enough to offset the 10 percent drop in software sales and the 2 percent drop in hardware sales for the month.
NPD Group's U.S. Games Industry Sales (New Physical Sales Channel*) - August2015
4-week month; Reporting Period 08/02/15 through 08/29/15
| Dollar Sales | Aug'14 | Aug'15 | CHG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Video Game Sales (New Physical Channel) | $560.4M | $548.0M | -2% |
| Video Games Hardware | $195.3M | $190.5M | -2% |
| Video Games Software (Console+Portable - New Physical Sales only) | $231.3M | $207.9M | -10% |
| Video Games Accessories | $133.8M | $149.6M | 12% |
| Total Software Sales - (Console+Portable+PC - New Physical Sales Only) | $238.4M | $213.0M | -11% |
Software
Madden NFL 16 was the top game this month and maintains its status as a key video game franchise, ranking as the third best selling franchise to date (since 1995, when NPD began tracking VG sales).
New physical software sales for 8th generation consoles, up 34 percent, did not offset the 51 percent decline in 7th generation console sales as well as the 24 percent drop in portable software sales. This led to the 10 percent decline in August 2015 sales versus August 2014.
New launches collectively declined by 16 percent compared to August 2014 launches. While titles that launched in June trended favorably compared to the performance of June 2014 launches, July launches also declined by 42 percent.
Call of Duty has two games within the top 10 this month, with Call of Duty: Black Ops Combo Pack performing favorably with increased sales versus prior months. This may be related to the Call of Duty: Black Ops III multiplayer beta that occurred in late August across PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
| August 2015 Top 10 Games (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC) | Rank | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Madden NFL 16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)** | 1 | Electronic Arts |
| Minecraft (360, PS3, XBO, PS4) | 2 | Microsoft (Corp) / Sony (Corp) |
| Gears Of War Ultimate Ed (XBO) | 3 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)** | 4 | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
| LEGO: Jurassic World (360, 3DS, NWU, PS3, XBO, PS4, PSV) | 5 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| Rare Replay (XBO) | 6 | Microsoft (Corp) |
| Until Dawn (PS4) | 7 | Sony (Corp) |
| Call Of Duty: Black Ops Combo Pack (360, PS3) | 8 | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
| Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4, XBO)** | 9 | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)** | 10 | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
Hardware
Hardware sales declined 2 percent in August 2015 compared to August 2014. There was modest dollar growth of 3 percent for eighth generation consoles that was offset by a sharp 61 percent decline in seventh generation sales. Portables grew 4 percent over last year.
Bundles are increasingly becoming the standard way to purchase console hardware as 93 percent of unit sales in August 2015 came from bundles, which compares to 41 percent in August 2014.
Accessories
Accessories were up 12 percent in dollars, which was driven by video game point and subscription cards, gamepads, headsets/headphones, and interactive gaming toys. These were the top four accessory types, with all experiencing dollar growth versus August 2014.
Perhaps due to retailers clearing out inventory to make room for the launch of LEGO Dimensions, Skylanders: Superchargers, and Disney Infinity 3.0, as well as new amiibo in support of Super Mario Maker, there was a drop in average price for interactive gaming toy accessories, which led to a 30 percent increase in unit sales versus last August.