NPD: sales for April 2016 (United States)
According to the NPD, sales of video games in the United States generated $509.5 million in April 2016 (April 3rd to May 1st), which is a 15% drop from April 2015 sales ($598.1 million). And this time around, both Software and Hardware are to blame, and only the Accessories segment (which includes the toys-to-life category) was on the rise.
Here’s the raw data:
- Hardware: $142.1 million in April 2016 (-23% from $183.7 million)
- Software: $203.9 million in April 2016 (-21%from $256.7 million)
- Accessories: $157.6 million in April 2016 (+4% from $157.6 million)
Software
Some really successful games came out in April 2016, but they didn’t perform as well as those that came out in April 2015. For example, in April 2015, Mortal Kombat X sold 18% more than all of the April 2016 releases put together. In addition, games from the previous month (March) didn’t do as well as those from last year during the same period. This does come as a bit of a surprise, as sales for March 2016 were pretty good. Unfortunately, there was no momentum.
Despite the mixed reception and the small userbase, Star Fox Zero managed to land at #10 of the All-Format charts. What’s more, it was actually the 5th best-selling game in the United States if you take each SKU separately (for multiplatform titles). Bravely Second: End Layer also had a respectable debut, as it was the 9th best-selling game in April.
Software – Top 10
- Dark Souls III (PS4, Xbox One)
- Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
- MLB 16: The Show (PS4, PS3)
- Tom Clancy’s The Division (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
- Minecraft (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3)
- Quantum Break (Xbox One)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
- NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Star Fox: Zero (Wii U)
Hardware
Hardware-wise, sales by dollars are down YoY, due to the consoles from the competition being more affordable than they were last year. Compared to April 2015, sales dropped by 23%, with a 19% ($30.4 million) drop for console sales. Spending for current-gen platforms dropped by 15%, while those for previous-gen platforms dropped by 70%. As for handhelds, their sales dropped by $11.3 million compared to April 2015.
Source: NPD
Via: VentureBeat
