NPD Sales Results For September 2018

For those of us who follow the sales data every month, September was always one to watch because it kicks off the holiday shopping season and the competition heats up at retail. With a glut of high profile games released during the month, we weren’t 100% sure which one would be the top seller, although our prediction of Spider-Man being number 1 did indeed come true. In fact, the title sold so well that it broke the all-time PlayStation exclusive record of reaching the highest launch month dollar sales for any PlayStation exclusive in history. Not too shabby! Indeed, if you added up all of the launch month sales of all Spider-Man games released since 1995, this one still outsold them by 37%. Crazy!

Spider-Man wasn’t the only noteworthy record breaker out there. Forza Horizon 4 is now the highest launch month dollar sale in Forza franchise history and the biggest launch for any racing game in Xbox history. Yes, it’s that good!

Not to be outdone, NBA 2K19 came in at #2 on the overall sales charts and has the highest launch month dollar sales of any sports genre game released since the NPD began reporting back in 1995! It’s also the biggest launch of any game in the NBA 2K franchise and the best selling sports game of the year. Way to go!

But, that’s not all! Assassin’s Creed Odyssey outsold Origins and had a double-digit percentage growth (dollars) over last year’s entry. This is impressive because Origins had so much hype and came back after a two year hiatus.

Also noteworthy is the fact that Super Mario Party debuted in the #9 position on the overall rankings. Keep in mind it did this with only two days of sales reporting and no digital sales are included. This one could have some legs as we go into the gift-giving season.

Total spending in the video game realm came in at $1.376 billion (up 7% from 1.285 billion last year). Hardware sales were $306 million (down from $316 million), software was $747 million (up from $744 million), and accessories came in at $323 million (up 43% from $225 million). The Xbox One X is doing well this year, outselling the S in both dollars and units for 2018. The top selling hardware for the year remains the PlayStation 4 family of systems.

Here’s how the Top 20 software sales shook out for September of 2018:

NPD tracks physical sales at retailers, but it also gets digital data directly from publishers. But not every company participates. For example, Nintendo doesn’t share its first-party sales, and Activision Blizzard does not provide its Battle.net sales.

These charts are sorted by dollar sales — not number of units sold. 

1. Marvel’s Spider-Man
2. NBA 2K19
3. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
4. FIFA 19**
5. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
6. Madden NFL 19**
7. Forza Horizon 4
8. Destiny 2**
9. Super Mario Party*
10. NHL 19
11. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
12. WWE 2K19
13. Grand Theft Auto V
14. Mario Kart 8
15. Naruto To Boruto: Shinobi Striker
16. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
17. Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
18. Super Mario Odyssey*
19. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
20. Minecraft**

*Does not include digital sales.
*Does not include PC digital sales.

Nintendo Switch*

1. Super Mario Party
2. Mario Kart 8
3. Super Mario Odyssey
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
5. Mega Man 11
6. Mario Tennis Aces
7. Splatoon 2
8. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
9. Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate
10. Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy\

Nintendo 3DS*

1. Pokemon: Ultra Sun
2. Pokemon: Ultra Moon
3. Mario Kart 7
4. Super Smash Bros.
5. Minecraft
6. Super Mario 3D Land
7. Yo-Kai Watch Blasters: Red Cat Corps
8. Warioware: Gold
9. Mario Party: The Top 100
10. Yo-Kai Watch Blasters: White Dog Squad

[Source: Venture Beat]

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.