The video game industry is continuing its trajectory of healthy growth this year, according to The NPD Group’s latest retail sales figures, showing few surprises in terms of the best-selling video games and a strong performance in the hardware market.
“Video game hardware was the primary driver of overall growth,” said Mat Piscatella, an NPD industry analyst. “Combined sales of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One continue at a record-setting pace.”
Overall, sales revenue increased by 11 percent in 2017, hitting $14.6 billion for the full year. Spending on hardware jumped by 28 percent year over year. On the other hand, software unit sales fared worse, with just a 4 percent bump as many publishers transition to a “games-as-a-service” business model.
While Nintendo lagged behind Sony for the full year, its slow-burn marketing strategy for its Switch console has started to pay off, heralding a bright 2018 for the company. The PlayStation 4 was the best-selling video game console of 2017 in general, but the Switch took first place for the all-important month of December and sold more units in its first ten months on the market than any other platform in history.
The publisher likewise dominated the software category for December, driving more consumer spending than any other publisher that month. Of the 20 best-selling video games of December 2017, seven were published by Nintendo, almost double Electronic Arts’ second-place figure of four.
Beyond Nintendo’s dark-horse comeback in December, a Call of Duty franchise title topped the overall December sales chart for the eighth year running, shooter games continue to draw the largest portion of consumer spending compared to all other game genres and the best-selling game accessory was the PS4 DualShock 4 controller.
