Here are the numbers for September 2018:
Total: $1,376 million (up 7 percent from $1,285 million in September 2017)
Hardware: $306 million (down 3% from $306 million)
PC and console software: $747 million (flat compared to $744 million)
Accessories: $323 million (up 43 percent from $225 million)
Year-to-date spending across video game Hardware, Software, Accessories and Game Cards is up 16 percent when compared to the same period a year ago, to $8.9 billion. Growth has occurred across all categories of spending, with Accessories & Game Cards driving the largest dollar growth.
SOFTWARE
Dollar sales of Console, Portable and PC Games Software reached $747 million in September 2018, flat when compared to a year ago. Year-to-date software spending is up 5 percent versus a year ago, to $3.9 billion.
Marvel's Spider-Man breaks PlayStation exclusive record:
Marvel's Spider-Man achieved the highest launch month dollar sales for any PlayStation exclusive in history, and is the seventh largest launch ever achieved by any game on any PlayStation platform.
Marvel's Spider-Man generated higher dollars sales in its launch than any other game this year and currently ranks as the third best-selling game of 2018, and the #8 best-selling game over the last 12 months.
Marvel's Spider-Man achieved launch month sales 37 percent higher than the combined launch month sales of all other Spider-Man games released since The NPD Group began tracking in 1995.
Forza Horizon 4 has the biggest launch for an Xbox racing game:
Forza Horizon 4 achieved the highest launch month dollar sales in Forza franchise history, and is the biggest launch for a racing game on any Xbox platform in history. Forza Horizon 4 was the seventh best-selling game of September.
NBA2K19 becomes fastest selling sports game:
NBA 2K19 debuts as the #2 best-selling game of September, and instantly becomes the 5th best-selling game of 2018. NBA 2K19 achieved the highest launch month dollar sales of any Sports genre game released since The NPD Group began tracking the industry in 1995. NBA 2K19 represents the biggest launch of any game in the NBA 2K franchise, and it is now the best-selling Sports game of 2018 year to date.
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey outdoes Origins:
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey appears at #3 on the September charts with double-digit percentage dollar sales growth when compared to the launch of Assassin's Creed: Origins a year ago. Assassin's Creed: Origins now ranks as the 6th best-selling game over the past 12 months.
FIFA 19 has biggest opening since FIFA 16:
FIFA 19 launches at number 4 on the September charts, with higher launch month dollar sales than any release in the franchise since FIFA 16, and the third highest launch month dollar sales for any soccer game in history.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider charts at #5:
Shadow of the Tomb Raider enters the charts as the fifth best-selling game of September, achieving the second highest launch month dollar sales for the franchise following only Tomb Raider, which launched in 2013.
Super Mario Party charts at #9:
Super Mario Party was the top selling game on Nintendo Switch for the month and the 9th best selling game overall. Please note that digital sales are not included in NPD data.
HARDWARE & ACCESSORIES
Hardware spending down despite PS4 & XB1 gains:
Hardware spending in September 2018 fell 3 percent when compared to a year ago, to $306 million. Significant gains in spending on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One hardware were offset by declines across all other platforms.
8th gen + Plug & Play consoles drive YTD spending:
For the 2018 year-to-date period, hardware spending has increased 18 percent to $2.4 billion. Spending gains for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and plug-n-play devices such as the NES Classic and SNES Classic have driven growth.
PS4 was the best selling console in September:
PlayStation 4 was September's best-selling hardware platform in both units and dollars sold. PlayStation 4 hardware achieved the highest September unit sell-through for a non plug-n-play console since the PS4 in 2014.
Sony's PlayStation 4 remains the best-selling console hardware platform year to date. The PS4 Slim System 1TB was the month's best-selling hardware item in both dollars and units.
Xbox One sales are up YoY and YTD:
Xbox One hardware dollar sales in September grew more than 30 percent when compared to a year ago, and are now up more than 60 percent year to date.
The Xbox One X System 1TB Black is the best-selling Xbox One hardware item of the year in both dollars and units sold.
Accessories & Game Cards:
Total spending on Accessories and Game Cards grew 43 percent in September 2018 when compared to a year ago, to an all-time high of $323 million.
Year to date, Accessories and Game Card spending has grown 35 percent when compared to a year ago, to $2.6 billion. This is also an all-time high, significantly exceeding the $1.9 billion generated in the 2017 year to date period.
For the first time in tracked history, both September and year-to-date Game Card spending now exceeds that of Accessories.
RANKINGS
Physical and Full Game Digital for publishers in the Digital Leader Panel, ranked on dollar sales
Marvel's Spider-Man
NBA 2K19
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
FIFA 19^
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Madden NFL 19^
Forza Horizon 4
Destiny 2^
Super Mario Party*
NHL 19
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
WWE 2K19
Grand Theft Auto V
Mario Kart 8*
Naruto To Boruto: Shinobi Striker
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy^
Super Mario Odyssey*
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
Minecraft*
* Digital sales not included
^ PC digital sales not included
Xbox One
NBA 2K19
Forza Horizon 4
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
FIFA 19
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Destiny 2
Madden NFL 19
NHL 19
WWE 2K19
Grand Theft Auto V
PlayStation 4
Marvel's Spider-Man
NBA 2K19
FIFA 19
Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Madden NFL 19
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
Destiny 2
NHL 19
WWE 2K19
Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Party
Mario Kart 8
Super Mario Odyssey
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Mega Man 11
Mario Tennis Aces
Splatoon 2
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Monster Hunter: Generations Ultimate
Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
Year To Date
Far Cry 5
God of War 2018
Marvel's Spider-Man
Monster Hunter: World
NBA 2K19
Madden NFL 19^
Grand Theft Auto V
Call of Duty: WWII^
Dragon Ball: Fighterz
Mario Kart 8*
