AMERICANS SPENT 52% MORE ON GAMING IN MAY

Americans spent 52% more on video game hardware and software this May than the same time last year, according to the latest report from analysts NPD Group, published on The Wrap. In the United States, the digital gaming spending throughout the month of May totaled $977 million, which is the highest total in the local games market “for a May month since the $1.2 billion achieved in May 2008”.

New York-based NPD Group also found that year-to-date sales of games and gaming equipment in the United States are up 13% from the prior year to $2.5 billion. Sales of gaming hardware, such as consoles and software, were up 56% and 67% from May 2019. Moreover, video gaming accessories also saw a jump in purchases from the previous May, up 32%.

May’s top-selling game title was Activision Blizzard and Infinity Ward’s multiplayer shooter “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” followed closely by Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games’ “Grand Theft Auto V”. Developers Electronic Arts had an outsized presence on this month’s chart, with its top-grossing titles “Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order” (#10 in sales), “Madden NFL 20” (#11), and “FIFA 20” (#20).

“‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’ returns to the top of the chart as May’s best-selling title, and remains the best-selling game of 2020 year-to-date, as well as for the 12 month period ending May 2020,”  Mat Piscatella, Analyst at NPD, said in a statement.