NPD Says US Gamers Spent $9.1 Billion in Q3 2018
Earlier today we told you that according to NPD analyst Matt Piscatella Xbox One sales are showing the highest growth out of the three major hardware platforms and now he has some more interesting news, this time about the growth of the gaming industry as a whole. According to the group gamers in the US alone spent $9.1 billion dollars during quarter 3 of 2018!
For anyone who still has their doubts about just how well the gaming industry is doing, Mat Piscatella, from the NPD Group, has shared some reassuring information about consumer spending in the USA. According to their data, consumers in the US alone spend $9.1 billion during Q3 2018. Yes you read that right, and this is all between July and September. As if this number wasn’t crazy enough all by itself, spending is up a whopping 24 percent compared to this same time frame last year.
Both software sales increased by 25 percent compared to Q3 2017, with video games, subscriptions, and microtransactions bringing in 710 million dollars, while hardware sales were up 11 percent earning 737 million dollars. Additionally, accessory sales increased by 44 percent, while game cards purchased to buy in-game currency or longer subscription time saw a 63 percent growth. So which games brought in the most software earnings? Unsurprisingly Fortnite was at the top of the list, followed by titles like Candy Crush Saga, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Madden NFL 19.
NPD’s Mat Piscatella released the following statement about their recent findings, “The video game market in the U.S. continues to thrive with compelling gaming content expanding the market, driving higher spending of hardware, accessory, and software. And with the sales strength of recent releases such as Marvel’s Spider-Man and NBA 2K19, combined with cross-platform titles such as Fortnite, there appears to be no slowing down as we head into the final stretch of the holiday shopping season.”
It will be interesting to see what kind of numbers come out of Q4, what with the holiday season in full swing, receiving boosts from hugely popular titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 and the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. What do you think about these massive numbers coming from the USA? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and don’t forget to keep it locked for updates and more!