NPD Group reports an uptick in game sales during October 2016
A flurry of popular games in October boosted software sales, while hardware performed unevenly.
Video game sales went up but hardware sales fell in October 2016, according to a report from industry analytics firm The NPD Group.
In correspondence with Shacknews, NPD Group detailed the factors that contributed to an increase in game sales. "The month saw the release of popular new games that included Battlefield 1, Mafia III, Gears of War 4, Titanfall 2, and Civilization VI. Consumers spent an additional 36 percent on software compared to last October, bringing the total spend to $539M."
PS4, Xbox One, and 3DS all enjoyed strong months. Nintendo's 3DS experienced its fifth consecutive month of year-on-year growth, with unit sales and consumer spending jumping by 12 percent. "It is likely that continued consumer interest in the Pokemon franchise and Monster Hunter: Generations has driven this growth," said an NPD Group spokesperson.
Pokemon Sun and Moon release tomorrow for the 3DS and 2DS suite of handhelds. If October is any indication, the 3DS seems primed to sell even better during the month of November.
Microsoft's Xbox One brand of hardware—the standard console and its Xbox One S counterpart—grew by eight percent compared to October 2015. The console's average pricing dipped 17 percent thanks in large part to the affordably priced Xbox One S Minecraft bundle.
The PS4 Slim 500GB package, which comes with Naughty Dog's Uncharted 4, "was the month's best-selling hardware across the category," says the NPD, "accounting for 17 percent of total hardware units sold in the month."
Total spending on accessories fell by 58 percent compared to last October, although PS4 controllers saw a spike of 16 percent due to consumers spending money on the PSVR Move controller package.
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