August 2018 NPD Results Offer Up Some Surprises

It’s that time of the month again where we get sales data for the North American video game market! The good news is that the sector is extremely healthy with total gaming sales hitting $796 million (up 26% year-over-year). Making up that number was hardware at $214 million (up 28%), software at $330 million (up 16%) and accessories at $251 million (up 39%). For the year the video game industry is up 17% with POSA game cards (digital currency) seeing major growth thanks to games like Fortnite.

Typically the month of August has belonged to Madden and this year is no different. Madden NFL 19 was the best selling game for the month and it’s the best selling one since 2012. Keep in mind the game did launch earlier in the month than normal (Aug. 7 & 10 versus the usual Aug. 20-something), so that may have helped.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the month was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The game went backward compatible on the Xbox One on August 28 and the game sold like crazy, landing it in the 8th overall spot for the month with only a few days left in the reporting period! For comparison the title ranked 321 in July, so that’s quite the climb.

So far this year the PS4 family of systems still holds the number one spot in number of consoles sold and revenue earned. However, if you separate everything out by SKU then the Neon Nintendo Switch has sold the most units and made the most money. Obviously both companies are doing rather well!

Here’s the official Top 20 for August of 2018:

RANKINGS
Physical and Full Game Digital for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel, ranked on dollar sales

1. Madden NFL 19 ^
2. Monster Hunter: World
3. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
4. Grand Theft Auto V
5. Mario Kart 8*
6. Naruto To Boruto: Shinobi Striker
7. God of War
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
9. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
10. Super Mario Odyssey*
11. Minecraft
12. Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
13. Far Cry 5
14. Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate*
15. Call of Duty: WWII
16. Mario Tennis Aces*
17. Overwatch ^
18. Lego The Incredibles
19. We Happy Few*
20. The Crew 2

* Digital sales not included
^ PC digital sales not included

Switch

1. Mario Kart 8
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
3. Super Mario Odyssey
4. Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate*
5. Mario Tennis Aces
6. Octopath Traveler
7. Splatoon 2
8. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
9. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
10. Minecraft

[Source: ResetEra]

Craig Majaski

Craig has been covering the video game industry since 1995. His work has been published across a wide spectrum of media sites. He’s currently the Editor-In-Chief of Nintendo Times and contributes to Gaming Age.