June was a good start to the summer at retail for video games, with overall US retail store revenue at $869.4 million, up 18 percent over June 2014’s $734.7 million. Hardware sales rose 8 percent to $313.1 million, software rose 21 percent to $345.5 million, and accessories jumped 34 percent to $210.7 million. The big winner for the month was clearly Warner Bros. Interactive, which captured the #1, #3, #4, and #8 positions with Batman: Arkham Knight, LEGO: Jurassic World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Mortal Kombat X, respectively.

“Due to the strong launch lineup and favorable comps to last year, new physical software rose 19 percent over June 2014,” said NPD’s Liam Callahan. “This is the fourth month of year-over-year increases so far in 2015; through the first half of the year, software is up 3 percent. With a strong lineup of games for the remainder of the year, there is the potential for a positive growth in the second half of the year as well.” Callahan also noted that “A major factor for the rise in overall software sales was the success of June launches, which collectively rose close to 300 percent in dollar sales compared to June 2014 launches.”

NPD confirmed just how well Warner Bros. Interactive is doing for 2015. “With hits like Batman: Arkham Knight, The Witcher 3, Mortal Kombat X, and Dying Light, Warner Bros. Interactive is the top Corporate Publisher so far in 2015, with dollar sales growing 217 percent versus the first half of 2014,” Callahan stated.

As for hardware, the newest console are doing well. “Eighth-generation consoles are leading the way with 15 percent growth over June 2014, offsetting declines in seventh-generation and portable hardware sales,” Callahan said. “Hardware bundles gained share of overall hardware sales with 35 percent of sales in June 2014 rising to 82 percent of sales in June 2015. June 2015 was especially strong for hardware bundle sales as the 82 percent share of hardware attributed to bundles in June 2015 is above the YTD total of 67 percent share.”

Sony once again took the lead in console sales for the month, despite Microsoft doing very well during the week of E3. “PlayStation 4 was the top selling console in the United States in June due to the overwhelming popularity of the Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 bundles. PlayStation 4 also led software sales in June,” Sony said in a statement.”PS4 continues to lead console sales in the U.S. and globally and we would like to thank gamers worldwide for their continued dedication to the PlayStation platform.”

Accessories had a very strong June, and that points the way towards strong holiday sales for all kinds of accessories, particularly the toy/game hybrid category. “June 2015 accessory sales rose as video game point/subscription cards, gamepads, headsets/headphones, and interactive gaming toys all increased over June 2014,” Callahan said. “Video game point/subscription cards was the highest-selling accessory type and had the largest volumetric growth, totaling $31 million. Interactive gaming toys continue to sell well, up 44 percent over June 2014. Year-to-date sales are also positive, increasing by 23 percent.”

June 2015 Top 10 Games (New Physical Retail only)
1. Batman: Arkham Knight (PS4, XBO, PC)** Warner Bros. Interactive
2. The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited (XBO, PS4, PC)** Bethesda Softworks
3. LEGO: Jurassic World (360, XBO, PS4, PS3, 3DS, NWU, PSV) Warner Bros. Interactive
4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4, XBO, PC)** Warner Bros. Interactive
5. Splatoon (NWU) Nintendo
6. Minecraft (360, PS3, XBO, PS4) Microsoft / Sony
7. Grand Theft Auto V (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC) Take 2 Interactive
8. Mortal Kombat X (PS4, XBO)** Warner Bros. Interactive
9. NBA 2K15 (360, PS4, XBO, PS3, PC) Take 2 Interactive
10. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)** Activision Blizzard
**(includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)