With Pandemic Lockdowns, Video Games See 52% Rise In May Revenues

All video game-related revenues — software and hardware — posted the best May results in more than a decade, with the stay-at-home lockdown remaining a major factor in the sector's rise in the second quarter. 

The NPD Group says May witnessed a 52% rise to $977 million -- from all the hardware, physical games, downloaded full games (from a panel of 14 major publishers), and video-game accessories. 

So far this year, season-to-date revenues are 18% higher to $5.5 billion.

Those year-to-date results, says the consumer research company, show the highest revenue in eight years. In 2011, it was $5.7 billion over the same time period.

In May, software game sales jumped 67% to $438 million, while hardware sales from gaming platforms were 56% higher to $235 million. Accessories and game cards revenue rose 32% to $304 million. 

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Bestselling games in May were: “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” “Grand Theft Auto V,” “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,”  “NBA 2K20,” “Mortal Kombat 11,” “Red Dead Redemption II,” “Minecraft,” “Final Fantasy VII: Remake,” “Assassin's Creed:Odyssey” and “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.”

The May results were down from April’s 73% increase -- the first full month of stay-at-home state lockdowns -- which totaled $1.5 billion.

2 comments about "With Pandemic Lockdowns, Video Games See 52% Rise In May Revenues".
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  1. Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, June 12, 2020 at 2 p.m.

    Yes, but what really counts is how much time people---mainly young people---devote to the games and, from an advertiser's perspective whether they pay attention to or are motivated by any ads that are presented. I wonder if Nielsen would care to release any current info from its national panel on videogame usage and how it compares to older norms?

  2. Dan Ciccone from STACKED Entertainment, June 15, 2020 at 12:18 p.m.

    There is plenty of info about how much time young people spend playing video games and despite the common misconception that the media hypes, they are receptive to ads just like any other audience - is it relevant and does it speak to their needs?

    The industry needs to stop relying on Nielsen.  There are plenty of ways to measure engagement and effectiveness and Nielsen didn't get involved in the gaming/esports space until a couple of years ago.  The ad industry needs to start looking forward instead of looking backwards for guidance.

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