15.11.2022

NPD: US video game spending hit $4.3 billion in October, with hardware sales falling 10% YoY

The NPD Group has released a new report on best-selling titles, consoles, and accessories in the US for October 2022. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was the main driver of game content revenue growth, while hardware sales declined year-over-year.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is already the second best-selling video game of 2022

Key takeaways

  • According to NPD’s Mat Piscatella, US players spent a total of $4.3 billion on games, hardware, and accessories last month, the same amount as in October 2021.
  • However, sales of consoles dropped 10% year-over-year to $424 million, and sales of game accessories fell 8% to $148 million.
  • PlayStation 5 was the top console last month in terms of unit and dollar sales, with Xbox Series X|S ranking second.
  • This decline in hardware was partly offset by 2% growth in revenue from video game-related content (sales of premium video games, DLCs, microtransactions, etc.), which hit $3.7 billion last month.
  • Console and PC player spending saw a double-digit percentage increase, thanks to the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which generated $1 billion globally in just 10 days.
  • It is worth noting that year-to-date spending across the video game industry has fallen 7% compared to this point in 2021. NPD cites declines in mobile and hardware revenues as the main reason.

Best-selling video games

  • Elden Ring remains the highest-grossing premium title of 2022 when looking at year-to-date numbers.
  • Earlier this year, NPD said FromSoftware’s blockbuster was expected to end up as the best-selling game of the year, becoming only the third title since 2009 to dethrone Call of Duty.
  • However, Modern Warfare 2 is taking the charts by storm right now. Despite being released on October 27, it has already become the second best-selling game of 2022 YTD.
  • It is followed by LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Madden NFL 23, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus (excluding digital sales).

  • When looking at revenue by platform, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope was the top game on Nintendo Switch in terms of dollar sales last month. It is followed by Bayonetta 3 and Persona 5.
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 became the highest-grossing title on PlayStation in October, followed by Gotham Knights and FIFA 23.
  • Modern Warfare 2 was the best-selling game on Xbox as well, followed by Gotham Knights and Madden NFL 23.
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