Recently released statistics for video game sales in the first quarter of 2020 highlights the highest level of video game sales in the United States since a single quarter.
This information comes from NPD's official press release. According to the NPD report, "By the first quarter of 2020, total consumer spending on video games in the US industry reached a record $ 10.86 billion." These figures indicate that sales have increased by 9% over the same period last year.
The report mentions various games in this quarter ’s best-selling games, including new versions such as “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” and “DOOM Eternal”, as well as “Grand Theft Auto V”, “Minecraft” Evergreen trees such as "Fortress Night".
Obviously, the reasons behind this record quarter were largely influenced by coronaviruses and the increased number of people playing video games due to having to stay indoors.
NPD Group game industry analyst Mat Piscatella said: "In this challenging period, video games have brought comfort and connection to millions of people."
"As people are staying at home more and more, they not only use games as a means to transfer lives and escape, but also use this method to stay in touch with family and friends. Whether on a host, mobile device, PC or virtual reality , The game has achieved growth in both games and sales in the first quarter. "
This quarter, hardware sales also increased by 2%, totaling $ 773 million.
Although these figures have broken records, they are not surprising. Last month, "Final Fantasy 7 Remastered Edition" sold more than 3.5 million worldwide, and Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa recently confirmed that "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" sales have exceeded lifetime sales expectations.
Despite these growths, it remains to be seen how the video game sales will perform in the coming months, especially because COVID-19 may experience substantial delays. Just today, Nintendo announced that due to the coronavirus, it is expected to have a “great impact” on game development.
