SuperData: Digital Games Market Ends Q1 2019 on a "Soft Note"

In March, users spent $ 8.7 billion on digital copies of games. This is a 3% drop from the spending in March 2018.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

The statistics come from the monthly report by SuperData.

The main driver of the downturn is PC games. Digital sales on PC fell by a substantial 23%. However, the mobile gaming market also declined, even if much less significantly – by 2%.

The overall situation is partly improved by the sales growth in digital console segment. Compared to last year, console revenue increased by 10%, with Fortnite and Apex Legends contributing to the growth.

Speaking of Fortnite, its monthly revenue went up by 7% compared to March last year. It’s the first time that we can make a year-ago comparison across all platforms (the iOS version of the game entered beta in March 2018). Analysts caution, though, that the title is unlikely to show significant annual growth. After peak performance in the first half of 2018, Fortnite reached a plateau in February at a slightly lower level.

Sekiro is another game whose sales feature prominently in the report. According to the analysts, the game has sold 1.4 million digital copies across all platforms. This number compares very well with the results of Dark Souls III that sold 1.2 million digital units when it debuted in April 2016.