General Gaming August NPDs: Worst software sales in 20 years, strange tides

[crispy4000]

Q&A Triva: Which of these games fails to chart Top 20 after only a few days of sales?

   
 

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HARDWARE

Switch kept its youthful momentum in August as the aging PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems continue to wither. Nintendo’s hybrid console was the top-selling hardware in the United States in August, according to industry-tracking firm The NPD Group. Check out the NPD software results for August right here.

“Nintendo Switch was again the best-selling hardware platform of August and remains the best-selling platform of 2019,” NPD analyst Mat Piscatella said. “Nintendo Switch is the only platform with sales gains both in August as well as year to date.”

SOFTWARE

1. Madden NFL 20**
2. Minecraft***
3. Grand Theft Auto V
4. Fire Emblem: Three Houses*
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
6. Super Mario Maker 2*
7. Mario Kart 8*
8. Mortal Kombat 11
9. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
10. Astral Chain*
11. Marvel’s Spider-Man
12. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
13. Red Dead Redemption II
14. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII**
15. Age of Wonders: Planetfall
16. Super Mario Party*
17. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order*
18. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
19. The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan
20. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

*Does not include digital sales
**Does not include PC digital sales
***Minecraft digital sales include Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but not other digital sales.


NPD confirmed that this was the worst August in terms of software sales in more than 20 years.

“Dollar sales of tracked video game software fell 22 percent in August versus a year ago, to $257 million,” said Piscatella. “This represents the lowest total software sales in an August month since August 1998, which was $234 million.”

Overall, 2019 is still on par with last year’s software sales, but that is due primarily to the newer of the three major console platforms.

“Year-to-date dollar sales of tracked video game software increased 1 percent, to $3.1 billion,” said Piscatella. “Nintendo Switch performance has driven the growth.”

Five of the top 10 best-selling video games of August 2019 are Nintendo platform exclusives. Astral Chain launched as the 10th best-selling game of August, the only new release to place amongst the top 10 sellers of the month.

Answer: Control.  With 3 more days of sales than the rest.

What?

[stepee]

I haven’t played it yet (had to sell my gaming pc so i guess I’ll wait for Gamepass at this point or wait until I have a pc again) but poor Remedy.

 

Considering it was only out for two days, and this doesn’t count digital, and it’s been number 1 on eshop since it came out, not bad for Astral tho!

 

Also at least it didn’t count digital sales for Control, so it didn’t count the pc version pretty much which hopefully then did well for there.

 

And, I wonder where the sales rank if digital sales were included for everything, particularly Switch software, I’m guessing it wouldn’t be a 20 year low.

[Keyser_Soze]

11 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Answer: Control.  With 3 more days of sales than the rest.

What?

 

I figured it was that. Good thing they took that EGS money.

[crispy4000]

17 minutes ago, stepee said:

Also at least it didn’t count digital sales for Control, so it didn’t count the pc version pretty much which hopefully then did well for there.

 

 

Epic Games Store exclusive, so who knows.  But Metro Exodus charted the month of release, and outsold its previous entries in spite of EGS.

Control should have charted.  Big yikes / bomba.  Might be a combination of bad marketing and terrible base hardware performance.


...Remedy could be up for grabs after this.

[EternallDarkness]

GTA V just keeps on rolling

[stepee]

1 minute ago, crispy4000 said:

 

Epic Games Store exclusive, so who knows.  Metro Exodus charted the month of release however, and outsold its previous entries in spite of EGS.

It should have charted.  Big yikes / bomba.  Might be a combination of bad marketing and terrible base hardware performance.


... Remedy could be up for grabs after this.

 

Yeah, it’s not good! Just saying hopefully it’s not bad enough to totally kill them if they did OK on pc. If someone does buy them I hope it’s not Sony as I was just told was rumored. I like how Remedy likes to push tech, I don’t want them to go to the one company that will make it so their games don’t hit pc.

[crispy4000]

6 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

Yeah, it’s not good! Just saying hopefully it’s not bad enough to totally kill them if they did OK on pc. If someone does buy them I hope it’s not Sony as I was just told was rumored. I like how Remedy likes to push tech, I don’t want them to go to the one company that will make it so their games don’t hit pc.

 

While I agree to some extent, they'd still be able to impress us if they went exclusive.  And honestly, they might do better to juggle fewer SKUs.

But it'd definitely suck if the next-gen consoles can't push raytracing hard enough.

[stepee]

Actually I guess at least Sony would give them a big budget for a single player story based game with high production values and share their tech so they could better optimize their games. MS might make them do something multiplayer focused so idk. I hope this doesn’t tank them I guess.

[stepee]

Just now, crispy4000 said:

 

While I agree to some extent, they'd still be able to impress us if they went exclusive.  And honestly, they might do better to juggle fewer SKUs.

But it'd definitely suck if the next-gen consoles can't push raytracing hard enough.

 

Ya, I just thought about it and had to question myself on where it would be best :P

[cusideabelincoln]

I had not even heard of Control until after it released, and there was not much word of mouth prior to release.

[EternallDarkness]

3 minutes ago, cusideabelincoln said:

I had not even heard of Control until after it released, and there was not much word of mouth prior to release.

 

I'd heard of it because some here posted info on it during E3, but that was the first time. You think if this was to a major release they would have been building buzz for a while. I think it looks cool, but I'll snag it when it drops to 20 bucks.

[gamer.tv]

We bought Man of Medan, so I can't say my buying habits have dwindled, but I've held off from Control after hearing of the performance issues and the fact that after I've finished Arkham Knight, there was earlier releases in the Year that need my attention. 

[Mercury33]

I bought both Man of Medan and Control so don’t blame me haha

[Mr.Vic20]

2 hours ago, Mercury33 said:

I bought both Man of Medan and Control so don’t blame me haha

As did I! Control seems to be enjoying media love and a core group of gamers attention but nothing beyond that. Does this list track digital sales though? 

[best3444]

9 hours ago, EternallDarkness said:

GTA V just keeps on rolling

 

At this point they don't even need to make a GTA 6.

[SaysWho?]

How are y'all enjoying Man of Medan in comparison to Until Dawn?

[Mr.Vic20]

Just now, SaysWho? said:

How are y'all enjoying Man of Medan in comparison to Until Dawn?

Sadly purchased, but no time as of yet to play it! I just wanted to really support the team. What they do is relatively singular in the industry and Until Dawn was a lot of fun to play with my Wife and daughter. 

[jaethos]

I bought, played and loved Control.

[TheLeon]

I'm trying to stick to a really limited budget for games, so I haven't bought any big new titles in a while. I was tempted by Control, but it seemed like a game that would drop in price quickly. 

[Brian]

2 hours ago, SaysWho? said:

How are y'all enjoying Man of Medan in comparison to Until Dawn?

I bought two copies. One for me and one for my brother. I posted my impressions in the what are you playing thread. It doesn’t reach the heights of Unit Dawn story and characters nor Hidden Agenda party mode, but it is still a good time. The engine really struggled on the Pro so I am worried about it becoming a problem like with Tell Tale games. 

 

Control is Remedy’s best game to date for me and Astral Chain is a surprisingly well rounded game from Platinum. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

This has been the weakest year in memory for games that interest me.  Not surprised that software sales are falling.  Interesting that there are more games in the top 20 that were first released before 2019 (12), than there are games that launched in 2019 (8).

[crispy4000]

1 hour ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

This has been the weakest year in memory for games that interest me.  Not surprised that software sales are falling.  Interesting that there are more games in the top 20 that were first released before 2019 (12), than there are games that launched in 2019 (8).

I see it more as a year when sprawling RPGs and open world games didn't control the narrative.  It's been a welcome break.  Capcom rallied.  Nintendo's having a good year.  Indies have been killing it.  (Slay the Spire, Plague Tale, Outer Wilds, Wargroove, Void Bastards, etc)

[Dodger]

3 hours ago, TheLeon said:

I'm trying to stick to a really limited budget for games, so I haven't bought any big new titles in a while. I was tempted by Control, but it seemed like a game that would drop in price quickly. 

 

 

If you have an xbox Games Pass has greatly reduced how much I spend on games as there is just a ton of stuff to be playing on that. 

 

Also, I've never seen what the big deal about Remedy is. Not at all surprised if Control is a dud. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

19 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

I see it more as a year when sprawling RPGs and open world games didn't control the narrative.  It's been a welcome break.  Capcom rallied.  Nintendo's having a good year.  Indies have been killing it.  (Slay the Spire, Plague Tale, Outer Wilds, Wargroove, Void Bastards, etc)

Other than Nintendo -- they don't seem to be selling large $$$ though.

 

I am glad you are enjoying it.  For me, it feels very much like a down year (after several phenomenal ones).

 

Of course, these numbers all exclude FTP transactions (Fortnite, PUBG, Dota, APEX, etc.) -- which may be where all the $$$ is going.

[TheLeon]

12 minutes ago, Dodger said:

 

 

If you have an xbox Games Pass has greatly reduced how much I spend on games as there is just a ton of stuff to be playing on that. 

 

Also, I've never seen what the big deal about Remedy is. Not at all surprised if Control is a dud. 

Yeah, Game Pass is the biggest reason I’ve cut back on my spending. I’ve been playing Gears 5 this week because it’s just there. 

[crispy4000]

34 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

I am glad you are enjoying it.  For me, it feels very much like a down year (after several phenomenal ones).

 

I hardly bought any new games in 2019 - seldom do anymore.  Slay the Spire and Days Gone are it.  Backlog is too big and money goes much further a few months out.

But I'll be looking forward to a lot of the holiday discounts this time.  A lot more feels approachable to me - there's less 50+ hour time sucks.

Control might be at the top of my list.  Metroidvania + AAA is my jam.  We don't get too many of those anymore.  And yes, I know I'm part of the problem.

[nublood]

Is it just me or are all games kind of just blurring together right now? Nothing stands out to me anymore in terms of generating genuine interest in a video game. I guess we're in that twilight period where everyone is waiting on next gen.

[SaysWho?]

2 minutes ago, nublood said:

Is it just me or are all games kind of just blurring together right now? Nothing stands out to me anymore in terms of generating genuine interest in a video game. I guess we're in that twilight period where everyone is waiting on next gen.

 

I'm looking forward to a lot of games. Most are coming in 2020, however.

[nublood]

14 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

I hardly bought any new games in 2019 - I seldom do anymore.  Slay the Spire and Days Gone are it.  Backlog is too big and money goes much further a few months out.

But I'll be looking forward to a lot of the holiday discounts this time.  A lot more feels approachable to me - there's less 50+ hour time sucks.

Control might be at the top of my list.  Metroidvania + AAA is my jam.  We don't get too many of those anymore.  And yes, I know I'm part of the problem.

 

Sounds like you like good games and you don't buy games just because. That's definitely not a problem. lol

[crispy4000]

4 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

 

I'm looking forward to a lot of games. Most are coming in 2020, however.

 

I might be more excited to see how Death Stranding and Fallen Order turn out than anything on the distant horizon.  The unknowns are more exciting to me, save for maybe BoTW2 (which is a bit of an unknown itself).

[crispy4000]

4 minutes ago, nublood said:

 

Sounds like you like good games and you don't buy games just because. That's definitely not a problem. lol

 

I buy them... eventually.  Games drop prices like new-to-used cars do.

[SaysWho?]

5 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

 

I might be more excited to see how Death Stranding and Fallen Order turn out than anything else.  The unknowns are more exciting to me, save for maybe BoTW2 (which is a bit of an unknown itself).

 

I'm looking at Concrete Genie, Death Stranding, Dreams, The Last of Us Part II, Dying Light 2, Cyberpunk, Ghosts of Tsushima, FFVII Remake, I mean, shit, that's a lot in itself, and that's not even touching stuff like Nioh 2.

 

I've had a lull this summer, which means trying out games I missed. I'm playing through Dying Light and will then go through Dark Souls III. And if I get Move controllers, I'd try out Blood & Truth and Iron Man eventually. There's a ton out there whenever the current crop isn't interesting you, you know? In your case, you have plenty of keep you occupied until current games eventually drop in price.

[crispy4000]

20 minutes ago, SaysWho? said:

 

I'm looking at Concrete Genie, Death Stranding, Dreams, The Last of Us Part II, Dying Light 2, Cyberpunk, Ghosts of Tsushima, FFVII Remake, I mean, shit, that's a lot in itself, and that's not even touching stuff like Nioh 2.

 

I've had a lull this summer, which means trying out games I missed. I'm playing through Dying Light and will then go through Dark Souls III. And if I get Move controllers, I'd try out Blood & Truth and Iron Man eventually. There's a ton out there whenever the current crop isn't interesting you, you know? In your case, you have plenty of keep you occupied until current games eventually drop in price.

 

My backlog is crazy at the moment.  This is just what I've parsed through from a larger list to play next.
 

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- God of War (finish up)
- Hat in Time (finish up)
- Assassin's Creed Origins
- Symphony of the Night
- Xenoblade Torna
- DK: Tropical Freeze
- Hollow Knight

- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Spiderman
- Inside
- The Last Guardian
- LiS: Before the Storm
- Okami

- Portal
- Pyre
- Rise of the Tomb Raider

- Smash Bros Ultimate (World of Light)

- Journey
- Undertale
- Firewatch
- Hyper Light Drifter

 

Prices and ownership aside, I'd still choose to play much of that over most the 2019/2020 stuff coming.  I'll probably make an exception for BoTW2 and FF7R.

 

EDIT: I forgot The Last of Us Remastered.  Yup, I'm behind.

[SimpleG]

3 hours ago, nublood said:

Is it just me or are all games kind of just blurring together right now? Nothing stands out to me anymore in terms of generating genuine interest in a video game. I guess we're in that twilight period where everyone is waiting on next gen.

Its not just you. It seems like forever since Ive had one of those jaw drop moments from a game. So many feel "good" and so few go beyond that. Combined with shitty anti consumer practices from Devs/Pubs , shitty working conditions for the folks making them and games that are just run like ass, it makes me hesitant to buy much.

[SimpleG]

3 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

- Firewatch

Not that my opinion is worth a shit but I really recommend this one. You can finish it a sitting or 2, and its so nice to get away from 1000 hr giant open world game and get something nice and straight forward.