2020 saw an undeniable spike inthe popularity of gaming as the pandemic swept across the world, forcing people to stay inside and seek out entertainment. That trend looks to be continuing into 2021, despite the opening-up of various regions. Analysts have been perusing consumer data for the first half of this year, and the results certainly seem to indicate good news for the gaming industry.
The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatellashared the company’s findings on consumer spend in the video games sector today in a Twitter thread. The data covers a few different ranges, showing figures for the month of June, for the first half of 2021, and for the last 12 months in totality. Broadly, though, the news is good for the gaming industry: according to Piscatella, consumer spending across all areas increased 5% in June 2021 compared to June 2020, and 15% for the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year.
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Hardware appears to have been flying off the shelves over the course of June, with total hardware spending jumping 112% compared to June 2020, up to $401M. According to Piscatella, this is the highest June total since 2008, and the year-to-date figures are similarly impressive, boasting a 45% increase over 2020’s first half, up to $2.3B. No doubt this is primarily down to the release of the Xbox Series X/S and the PS5,which have been selling like hotcakes despite computer chip shortages.
It seems that Microsoft has enjoyed a particularly fruitful month, marking the highest dollar-sales figures in June of the main contenders with its Xbox Series consoles - although the Nintendo Switch technically sold more units. Sony is certainly proving to be no slouch, though:the PlayStation 5 retains its title as the fastest-selling console in US history, while the company’s DualSense Wireless Controllers dominated the video game accessories charts.
Piscatella’s data also has plenty of interesting insights about the games themselves.Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartreportedly hit the charts hard, soaring to the number one spot and “achieving the highest launch month dollar sales of any title in franchise history.” Meanwhile,Mario Golf: Super Rushwas also breaking records, scoring the highest dollar-sales figures ever for aMario Golfgame.
All of that definitely looks pretty rosy for the gaming sector. Presumably sales of the Xbox Series X/S and the PS5 will continue to improve, especially once the issue of chip shortages is resolved and supply can start to meet demand. Whetherthe growth the gaming industry has sustained during the pandemic is sustainableis a matter of much speculation, but for now at least the market looks remarkably solid.
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