The NPD Group has revealed its market data for the gaming industry in August 2020. EA's Madden NFL 21 was a very strong performer, with an impressive showing for the Nintendo Switch in the hardware stakes as well.
How strong have Madden NFL 21's sales been?
According to NPD analyst Mat Piscatella, Madden NFL 21 was the best-selling title of August, improving on the sales of its predecessor in launch month by double-digit percentage figures. Madden is the best-selling sports franchise in US gaming history and has been the best-selling title in its release month for 21 consecutive years, so its strong performance this past month perhaps isn't too surprising. The second best-selling game of the month is also a sports title; UFC 4 set a new franchise launch month sales record for an EA UFC game.
August 2020 US NPD THREAD - Consumer spending across video game hardware, content and accessories totaled $3.3B in Aug 2020, a 37% increase when compared to a year ago. Digital content on console, mobile and subscription were among largest growth segments. https://t.co/J1VyUT3txt
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) September 14, 2020
In addition to Madden's success, Nintendo will have cause for celebration when reflecting on August's sales figures. The NPD Group says the Switch set a new hardware dollar sales record for August in the US, beating the previous record set by the Nintendo Wii in August 2008. When compared to a year ago, Nintendo Switch unit volume has more than doubled. The console is August's best-selling hardware platform.
It's not just the Switch giving Nintendo cause to celebrate. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ranked among the month's seven best-selling Switch games for the 42nd time. It's now the tenth best-selling game on Nintendo platforms in US tracked industry history. Naturally, August's best-selling Switch game was Animal Crossing: New Horizons, followed by Ring Fit Adventure and the seemingly evergreen Mario Kart 8: Deluxe.
There are loads more stats in Piscatella's original Twitter thread, so make sure you check that out if you want to know what state the gaming industry was in last month (spoiler: it's doing pretty well). There's also some data regarding accessory sales, overall content spending, and other financial stats if you're so inclined.
Have you contributed to these games' strong sales figures? Let us know in the comments below!
