Consumers spent $19.5 billion on video games in the first six months of 2018, a 40-percent increase year-over-year, according to the NPD Group.
The results were collected in the information group’s most recent Games Market Dynamics: U.S. Report.
Video game content sales grew 43 percent to $16.9 billion across all categories, which include full-game, DLC/MTX, subscriptions and mobile. Mobile experienced the most growth.
Titles driving the trend include “Candy Crush,” “Far Cry 5,” “Fortnite,” “God of War,” “PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds” and “Roblox.”
Sales of video game hardware reached a seven-year high, an increase of 21 percent, with gains resulting in $1.7 billion profit. Xbox One, and plug & play devices such as Nintendo’s Super NES Classic Edition, led the increase.
Spending on accessories increased 41 percent with headset and headphone sales almost doubling.
“Video Game industry spending in the U.S. showed strong growth in the first half of 2018, with content sales driving performance across all platform segments including mobile, console, portable and PC,” says Mat Piscatella, games industry analyst, The NPD Group. “Hardware and accessories also reflected strong performance, while the evolving segment of subscription spending has experienced an accelerated growth rate. I maintain an optimistic outlook for the remainder of 2018, thanks in part to the strong lineup of titles set to be released in the fourth quarter. This, combined with continued strength in hardware and accessory spending, should result in double-digit annual percentage gains for the total market.”
