Overall Results:
December retail game sales are down 15% year over year.
Hardware was down 20% year over year.
Console and Handheld game sales were down 12% year over year.
Physical and Steam PC software sales were down 13% year over year.
Software Results:
December 2016:
Notes:
- ”Final Fantasy XV was the second best-selling title for December 2016, and was the top-selling title on the PS4," NPD analyst Sam Naji explained in a statement. ”Final Fantasy XV experienced the best console launch month in the history of the franchise (since tracking began in 1995) selling 19 percent more new physical units than Final Fantasy XIII in its launch month and 54 percent more in total dollar revenue including digital full game sales."
- NPD noted that Pokémon Sun and Moon combined sales are the best for the franchise since 2007's Diamond and Pearl, while a Call of Duty game was in the top spot for ninth year in a row.
- "The Interactive Gaming Toys segment consumer spend sold half the volume the segment achieved a year ago. The only brand to achieve year-on-year growth was LEGO Dimensions, originally launched in September 2015."
Full Year:
- As for EA's World War I-themed shooter, Battlefield 1 actually enjoyed 10% higher dollar spending than last year's Star Wars Battlefront. And of course, in the portable realm, Pokemon: Sun and Moon reigned supreme, as the combined sales were the best for the franchise since Pokémon Diamond and Pearl in 2007.
Publisher Scoreboard:
Activision Blizzard: 3
EA: 3
Take-Two: 2
Ubisoft: 1
Square Enix: 1
December Hardware:
PS4: #1
XB1: Up 10%
Notes:
- ”Unfortunately, the release of the Xbox One S and the PlayStation 4 Pro did not generate dollar spending growth," Naji said. ”Although the combined ARP for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 systems decreased by 15 percent, consumers bought 7 percent fewer units."
- Sales of Nintendo's nostalgic NES Classic Edition were up 14 percent compared to November, its debut month that saw it move 196,000 consoles. Meanwhile, Pokémon helped the aging 3DS portable grow its sales by 2 percent from December 2015.
- The PlayStation 4 was the top-selling console of the month, with the PlayStation 4 Slim System 500GB Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Bundle performing the best. However, the Xbox One saw a 10 percent increase in the number of consoles sold over the same period last year.
Full Year Notes:
- "2016 was a tough year for hardware spending," acknowledged NPD analyst Sam Naji. "The category was down 24 percent as unit sales and the average retail price for consoles declined compared to 2015. On a positive note, Nintendo did shift an additional 4 percent of 3DS systems thanks in large part to the heightened demand for Pokemon."
Other Information:
December retail game sales are down 15% year over year.
Hardware was down 20% year over year.
Console and Handheld game sales were down 12% year over year.
Physical and Steam PC software sales were down 13% year over year.
Software Results:
December 2016:
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Activision Blizzard)
- Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix)
- Battlefield 1 (EA)
- Madden NFL 17 (EA)
- NBA 2K17 (Take-Two)
- Watch Dogs 2 (Ubisoft)
- Grand Theft Auto V (Take-Two)
- Pokémon Sun* (Nintendo)
- FIFA 17 (EA)
- Pokémon Moon* (Nintendo)
Notes:
- ”Final Fantasy XV was the second best-selling title for December 2016, and was the top-selling title on the PS4," NPD analyst Sam Naji explained in a statement. ”Final Fantasy XV experienced the best console launch month in the history of the franchise (since tracking began in 1995) selling 19 percent more new physical units than Final Fantasy XIII in its launch month and 54 percent more in total dollar revenue including digital full game sales."
- NPD noted that Pokémon Sun and Moon combined sales are the best for the franchise since 2007's Diamond and Pearl, while a Call of Duty game was in the top spot for ninth year in a row.
- "The Interactive Gaming Toys segment consumer spend sold half the volume the segment achieved a year ago. The only brand to achieve year-on-year growth was LEGO Dimensions, originally launched in September 2015."
Full Year:
- Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Activision Blizzard)
- Battlefield 1 (EA)
- Tom Clancy's The Division (Ubisoft)
- NBA 2K17 (Take-Two)
- Madden NFL 17 (EA)
- Grand Theft Auto V (Take-Two)
- Overwatch (Activision Blizzard)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Activision Blizzard)
- FIFA 17 (EA)
- Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix)
- As for EA's World War I-themed shooter, Battlefield 1 actually enjoyed 10% higher dollar spending than last year's Star Wars Battlefront. And of course, in the portable realm, Pokemon: Sun and Moon reigned supreme, as the combined sales were the best for the franchise since Pokémon Diamond and Pearl in 2007.
Publisher Scoreboard:
Activision Blizzard: 3
EA: 3
Take-Two: 2
Ubisoft: 1
Square Enix: 1
December Hardware:
PS4: #1
XB1: Up 10%
Notes:
- ”Unfortunately, the release of the Xbox One S and the PlayStation 4 Pro did not generate dollar spending growth," Naji said. ”Although the combined ARP for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 systems decreased by 15 percent, consumers bought 7 percent fewer units."
- Sales of Nintendo's nostalgic NES Classic Edition were up 14 percent compared to November, its debut month that saw it move 196,000 consoles. Meanwhile, Pokémon helped the aging 3DS portable grow its sales by 2 percent from December 2015.
- The PlayStation 4 was the top-selling console of the month, with the PlayStation 4 Slim System 500GB Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Bundle performing the best. However, the Xbox One saw a 10 percent increase in the number of consoles sold over the same period last year.
Full Year Notes:
- "2016 was a tough year for hardware spending," acknowledged NPD analyst Sam Naji. "The category was down 24 percent as unit sales and the average retail price for consoles declined compared to 2015. On a positive note, Nintendo did shift an additional 4 percent of 3DS systems thanks in large part to the heightened demand for Pokemon."
Other Information:
