entertainment

Consumers Continue Love Of Gaming

U.S. consumers continue to be enthralled by the video games. 

According to data from the Entertainment Software Association and The NPD Group, the computer and video game industry generated $30.4 billion in revenue last year, up about $200 million from 2015. Some of the growth was led by interest in virtual reality systems and games, as well as in software sales. 

Revenue for software, which includes physical packaged games, mobile games and downloadable content, reached $24.5 billion in 2016, 6% higher than 2015. Franchise titles such as “Battlefield 1,” “Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare” (the year’s best-selling game), and “Madden NFL 17,” drove sales on console platforms.

The success of mobile game Pokemon Go bled over into game sales for Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, which saw the highest launch month consumer spend in the game’s history. PC game sales were also strong, according to the two entities.

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“Growth in entertainment software consumer spend was seen across the mobile, PC, virtual reality, subscription, portable and digital console segments,” said Mat Piscatella, industry analyst, The NPD Group, in a statement.

“Consumers have more options to purchase and enjoy entertainment software than ever before, while developers have more and easier ways of delivering that content. No matter the delivery platform, entertainment software has never been more engaging, diverse or accessible.”

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