- Videogame sales rose 23% in February, with continuing strong hardware gains making up for a flat month among game titles.
- Overall sales came to $995M vs. a year-ago $811M, according to NPD Group. Hardware sales jumped 55% to $316M; software sales were flat at $397M (same as last February); and accessories rose 35% to $282M.
- Combined with the best January in seven years, the month brought YTD overall videogame gains to 39% ($2.1B total).
- Hardware sales are up 79% YTD, with Feburary gains driven by continuing growth in Nintendo Switch (OTCPK:NTDOY) and in Xbox One (NASDAQ:MSFT). Sony 's (NYSE:SNE) PlayStation 4 was the best-selling individual console, while the Switch has hit the highest installed base for a console's first 12 months, analyst Mat Piscatella notes.
- In software, it was growth in Switch titles that offset declines elsewhere. Monster Hunter: World (OTCPK:CCOEY) repeated at the top spot in dollar sales, followed by Call of Duty: WWII (NASDAQ:ATVI) and NBA 2K18 (NASDAQ:TTWO). Dragon Ball: Fighterz (OTCPK:NCBDF) fell from the No. 2 spot to fourth, just ahead of Grand Theft Auto V (TTWO) which is hanging around at No. 5.
- Rounding out the software top 10: No. 6, UFC 3 (NASDAQ:EA); No. 7, Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Deep Silver); No. 8, Mario Kart 8 (OTCPK:NTDOY); No. 9, Super Mario Odyssey (OTCPK:NTDOY); No. 10, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege (OTCPK:UBSFY).
- After hours: OTCPK:NTDOY flat; MSFT flat; SNE +0.7%; OTCPK:CCOEY inactive; ATVI flat; TTWO +2%; OTCPK:NCBDF inactive; EA flat; OTCPK:UBSFY inactive.
- ETF: GAMR
- Now read: Activision Blizzard: An Expensive Long-Term Idea
Original article