Videogame sales fall 8% in April, though consoles rebound
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Videogame industry sales slipped 8% year-over-year in April - the sixth straight month that was worse than the year before, though at least the declines stopped accelerating.
December sales had shown up down 1% from the prior year, while January dipped 2%; February sales slipped 6%; and March fell a full 15%.
April overall sales fell 8% from April 2021, to $4.337 billion, according to NPD Group. Hardware sale eked out some rare growth, rising 16% to $343 million as some console supply strains eased. But that number was swamped by another decline in accessories (down 10% to $151 million), and especially game content, which fell 10% to $3.844 billion.
April's hardware rebound cut that area's year-to-date decline to 9%, for a 2022 total of $1.543 billion. Nintendo Switch (OTCPK:NTDOY) led the month again in unit sales, ahead of the Xbox Series (NASDAQ:MSFT), while PlayStation 5 (NYSE:SONY) led the month in dollar sales, again ahead of Xbox there. On a year-to-date basis, the Switch is the best seller by units, and the Xbox the best by dollar sales.
Accessories continue to decline, with their year-to-date sales falling 15% to $743 million. April's best-selling accessory is the PS4 DualShock 4 Wireless Controller Black (SONY), while the year's best-seller is the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller (MSFT).
In game content, the recent king has been dethroned. Elden Ring (OTCPK:NCBDY) fell to the No. 2 spot after two months at the top; the new king is Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (NASDAQ:WBD), a game that takes on the nine-film series in brick form.
The game had the highest launch-month dollar sales for any Lego title in history, NPD analyst Mat Piscatella notes. It also was the first third-party title to top Nintendo platform sales in more than a year.
Rounding out the game content dollar-sales top 10: No. 3, MLB: The Show 22; No. 4, Kirby and the Forgotten Land (OTCPK:NTDOY); No. 5, Nintendo Switch Sports (OTCPK:NTDOY); No. 6, Call of Duty: Vanguard (ATVI); No. 7, Horizon: Forbidden West (SONY); No. 8, Mario Kart 8 (OTCPK:NTDOY); No. 9, Gran Turismo 7 (SONY); and No. 10, PokÃ©mon Legends: Arceus (OTCPK:NTDOY).
Mobile games continue to cool off as well, as consumers face more entertainment options, and spending on games through Google Play is taking a bigger hit than expected, Piscatella notes, due to inflation and the end of stimulus payments.
Sensor Tower data show the top mobile games by revenue for April were Candy Crush Saga (ATVI), Roblox (RBLX), Coin Master, Evony: The King's Return, Royal Match, State of Survival: Zombie War, Bingo Blitz, Clash of Clans, Genshin Impact, and Call of Duty: Mobile (ATVI).
Related tickers: OTCPK:NTDOY, SONY, MSFT, HEAR, LOGI, CRSR, EA, ATVI, TTWO, WBD, OTCPK:UBSFY, OTCPK:NCBDY, OTCPK:SQNNY, OTCPK:CCOEY, OTCPK:SGAMY, ZNGA, SKLZ, SE, NTES, OTCPK:TCEHY, RBLX. Retail stock: GME.
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