Worldwide, the story remains the same- Nintendo hardware and software is topping charts all around the world. This is true in Japan, this is true in multiple European countries, and it is also true in North America, where the newest NPD numbers reveal that Nintendo Switch was the highest selling game system of the month, buoyed by the performance of Splatoon 2, which was the highest selling game of the month.
As a matter of fact, Nintendo has four published games games in the top 20, three in the top 10- in order, these are Splatoon 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and ARMS. Amazingly, Nintendo achieved this result in spite of the fact that they do not report digital revenue and date to NPD, while other games on the list do.
It was a good month elsewhere, too- Crash Bandicoot was second place, continuing its strong streak, while Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age debuted in a strong fourth place- actually, it, along with other games like Persona 5, Nier Automata, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Mass Effect Andromeda, and Kingdom Hearts 2.8 HD, have contributed to a 50% year on year growth for RPGs, NPD confirmed.
“The Nintendo Switch was July’s best-selling hardware platform,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. “[That was] driven by new inventory released in support of the launch of Splatoon 2. Year to date, hardware spending has grown 20 percent versus 2016 to $1.6 billion,” Mat Piscatella said. “Performance of the Nintendo Switch continues to be the primary cause of the year-on-year gains, ” he said, though he added, “New supply of Nintendo Switch and continued strength of PlayStation 4 pushed hardware higher,” pointing out that Sony’s impressive cadence of games for the PS4 has made it the highest selling console in North America this year so far.
So, yes- great games are doing well, with a varied and diverse showing in the Top 20. Japanese games and RPGs seem to be back, Nintendo seems to be back, and the Switch and PS4 are dominating. All in all, it is a good time to be a gaming fan.
July 2017:
- Splatoon 2
- Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Injustice 2
- Mario Kart 8
- Overwatch
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
- NBA 2K17