The NPD Group Inc is a US-based company that provides statistics based on market research for many industries. They have been tracking games sales for many years and are about to announce that August is the biggest month for growth in games sales in the US console and handheld games market since early 2011 if estimates are correct.
Supposedly console and handheld software sales were up 21 percent in August 2013 compared to August 2012 and that is the largest increase that has been noted in years. Total game sales, including PC games, are up 18 percent since last year, which is an impressive number as well.
Why the Growth?
Experts site the biggest influence in the big number for August being the newest iteration in the Madden series because it sold over 1 million copies. The other top spots in August’s console gaming market were Saints Row IV (522,000 units), Disney Infinity (225,000 units), Splinter Cell: Blacklist (209,000 units) and Pikmin 3 (185,000 units). All of those are games that did reasonably well for their genre, but Grand Theft Auto V, Battlefield 4, and the interest in the XBox One and PS4 will likely smash the year-on-year growth in the coming months.
Perks
The growth in the game industry is good for all of us. When the market for games is growing so is the number of AAA titles being made, the availability of industry jobs, and the quality of games being designed. So Cheer for a good summer in the field and an even better fall.
